Auto Safety: NHTSA Has Options to Improve the Safety Defect Recall Process
GAO-11-603
Published: Jun 15, 2011. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2011.
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Highlights
In 2010, auto manufacturers recalled more vehicles than any other year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal oversight authority for vehicle recalls. However, many recalled vehicles are never fixed, posing a risk to vehicle operators, other drivers, and pedestrians. After the recent recalls of Toyota vehicles, Congress raised questions about the auto safety defect recall process, including the sufficiency of NHTSA's oversight authorities and whether vehicle owners are being effectively motivated to comply with recalls. In response, GAO reviewed laws and documents and interviewed NHTSA and stakeholders about the (1) extent of NHTSA's role in the recall process, and how its authorities compare to selected federal and foreign agencies that oversee recalls; (2) benefits and challenges of the recall process for NHTSA and manufacturers; and (3) options for improving the recall process. GAO also conducted focus groups with vehicle owners to better understand their perspectives.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | In order to encourage vehicle owners to comply with safety recalls, provide vehicle owners with specific information about whether their vehicle is involved in a recall, and identify factors that affect recall completion rates, among other things, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator of NHTSA to modify the requirements for defect notification letters to include additional information such as (1) the word "urgent" in large type to obtain readers' attention, and (2) the VIN of the recalled vehicle so it is clear that the letter pertains to the owner's current vehicle. | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) oversees the process of recalling vehicles that have safety defects. Under this process, consumers are notified that their vehicle has a safety defect and of the manufacturer's plan to remedy it. In 2011, we reported that NHTSA is responsible for reviewing auto manufacturers' planning and implementation of safety defect recalls to ensure compliance with legal requirements. To this end, the agency is responsible for reviewing, among other things, the manufacturer's notification letters it plans to send to owners of affected vehicles. Auto industry stakeholders are generally satisfied with the recall process, but NHTSA faces... challenges that may affect recall completion rates. For example, focus group participants reported, among other things, they preferred notification letters with certain elements and may be more likely to comply if the letters included the vehicle identification number (VIN) number, clarified the severity of the defect and used the word "urgent" to indicate the seriousness of the defect. Therefore, we recommended that NHTSA modify the recall notification letters they send to consumers by adding the word "URGENT" in large type as well as the (VIN), so that consumers knew the their vehicle was involved in a recall. In 2015, we confirmed that NHTSA required that the recall notification letters include the words, "IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL" and the VIN. As a result, consumers should have clearer information that indicates they need to bring in their vehicles for safety repairs.
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| Department of Transportation | In order to encourage vehicle owners to comply with safety recalls, provide vehicle owners with specific information about whether their vehicle is involved in a recall, and identify factors that affect recall completion rates, among other things, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator of NHTSA to create a VIN search function on www.safercar.gov and publicize the Web site to vehicle owners and the public. | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) oversees the process of recalling vehicles that have safety defects. Under this process, consumers are notified that their vehicle has a safety defect and of the manufacturer's plan to remedy it. In 2011, we reported that NHTSA provides information and guidance to the public on recalls, primarily through its Web site. The information NHTSA provides on its Web site could be more useful. In particular, a centralized database (developed by NHTSA or another party) that allows consumers to search for recall information by vehicle identification number (VIN) would allow vehicle owners to determine if their specific vehicle is affected...
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| Department of Transportation | In order to encourage vehicle owners to comply with safety recalls, provide vehicle owners with specific information about whether their vehicle is involved in a recall, and identify factors that affect recall completion rates, among other things, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator of NHTSA to develop a plan to use the data it collects on recall campaigns to analyze particular patterns or trends that may characterize successful recalls and determine whether these represent best practices that could be used in other recall campaigns. | NHTSA is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of auto manufacturers' recall campaigns, based in large part on the data manufacturers are required to submit on recall completion rates (the number of defective vehicles that are fixed). In 2011, GAO reported that industry stakeholders were generally satisfied with the recall process for safety defects, but certain challenges may affect the completion rate of recalls. One such challenge was that NHTSA did not consistently using the data it collects from manufacturers to improve the completion rates of recall campaigns, which may help the agency determine some of the factors that are associated with higher or lower rates of...
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| Department of Transportation | In order to encourage vehicle owners to comply with safety recalls, provide vehicle owners with specific information about whether their vehicle is involved in a recall, and identify factors that affect recall completion rates, among other things, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator of NHTSA to seek legislative authority to ensure that potential buyers of used cars are notified of any outstanding recalls prior to sale. | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) oversees the process of recalling vehicles that have safety defects. Under this process, consumers are notified that their vehicle has a safety defect and of the manufacturer's plan to remedy it. In 2011, we reported that auto industry stakeholders were generally satisfied with the recall process for safety defects, but NHTSA faces certain challenges that may affect the completion rate of recalls. One such challenge is that NHTSA lacks the authority to require manufacturers to notify used-car dealerships of recalls and to require used-car dealerships to notify potential buyers of the existing defect. With over 35 million used...
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Automobile industryInvestigations by federal agenciesMotor vehicle detection and identificationMotor vehicle repairsMotor vehicle safetyMotor vehiclesPolicy evaluationProduct evaluationProduct recallsProduct safetySafety regulationSafety standardsDefective equipmentPolicies and procedures