On February 4, 1998, the California Air Resources Board announced “that it received a settlement of $80,000 from General Motors Corp. (GM) for selling vehicles that did not meet ARB certification standards for sale in the state…According to ARB information, General Motors was aware that the 19 vehicles, all 1995 Pontiac Grand Ams, were not certified for sale in California when they were delivered for sale with the intention of later bringing them into compliance with ARB emissions standards, a violation of Board regulations…In an effort to correct the problem, GM recalled the vehicles but were only able to reconfigure 13 to California specifications. Although the California Health and Safety Code allows for a maximum of $5,000 per vehicle civil penalty in this case, the ARB accepted $80,000 as a reasonable settlement.”