GAO Report Critical Of Auto Recall Process

Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on June 15 critical of how automobile recalls are conducted in the United States.

The GAO found that despite recalls being more prevalent than ever – in 2010, automakers recalled more vehicles than any other year on record – many recalled vehicles "are never fixed, posing a risk to vehicle operators, other drivers, and pedestrians."

The government’s watchdog arm called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to improve its recall process, saying that while automakers themselves felt good about the current way things are done, there was notable room for improvement.

For example, NHTSA does not include specific enough information in its recall notices to convince the public they need to act quickly, and the agency relies too much on its website even though most consumers are unfamiliar with it.

The GAO also found that "although recall completion rates vary considerably by certain factors, NHTSA has not consistently used the data it collects to identify which factors make some recalls more successful than others."

Finally, NHTSA does not have the basic authority to "notify potential used car buyers of a defect," leaving those buyers open to purchasing cars without knowing they may even have a defect in need of urgent repair.

The report calls about NHTSA to "modify requirements for notification letters," to use both its own data and the automakers' records in better ways, and to seek Congressional action to get the authority it needs to notify potential used car buyers of recalls.

To read the report in full: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11603.pdf

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