(Memphis) If you turn on your car and see a check engine light, it could ruin your day. As the On Your Side Investigators first uncovered last winter, if you live in Memphis it could also ruin your bank account.
Mechanic Ron Gray said check engine lights are costly, “Traditionally $200 to $400 depending on what the light is for.”
It is one of the reasons Memphis City Councilwoman Wanda Halbert is taking action. A check engine light means a car fails inspection, even if that light doesn’t have anything to do with emissions. “It has created a tremendous problem,” said Halbert.
Halbert wants answers from the Environmental Protection Agency and also wants to know why people in Memphis have to take an emissions test in the first place, especially since people living in other parts of the county don’t.
“Why are we being made as the only city in the area made to perform that service?” asked Halbert.
To provide relief, council members approved a two-week window during which drivers can pass inspection if they pass either the on-board diagnostic testing or the emissions probe test. That window will be active once the council approves the minutes from last night’s meeting. Current rules require cars pass both tests.
The council also approved a financial hardship waiver for cars that fail emissions testing. Drivers can check a box claiming financial problems will not allow them to pay for car repairs and will be allowed to pass inspection with a one-year extension to make repairs. No proof of income is required.