NHTSA May Tighten Rules After Toyota Recall
An unintended consequence of the fallout from the Toyota gas pedal recall may be changes at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Regulators may now take a tougher stand on calling back vehicles, according to safety advocates.
The NHTSA already is considering civil penalties against Toyota for the automaker’s handling of both the sticky gas pedal and floormat recalls, numbering 2.3 million and 5.4 million vehicles, respectively.
Whether or not it issues civil penalties, the NHTSA will likely enforce “stop sales” orders more quickly if automakers don’t have a fix. There was a short lag time between Toyota’s recall and its order to stop sales of the affected vehicles.
Automakers normally resist recalls, but news that Toyota may have known about the pedal issue as early as 2007 has prompted Congress to get involved. With Toyota calling it a “drivability issue” and not a safety concern, Congress will ask the automaker tough questions, but members will also likely grill the NHTSA to determine if the agency acted promptly to the danger.
The safety organization Safety & Research Strategies has collected more than 2,000 complaints linked to unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, and its leader, Sean Kane, predicts the NHTSA will have to pursue recalls more aggressively in the future.
Former NHTSA administrator Nicole Nason told the Detroit News, “How can the government not be less likely to trust everyone at this point?”
The Obama administration had already called for a 15% increase in the number of NHTSA administrators prior to the Toyota recalls.
Auto Recall Rules May Be Tightened by NHTSA (Detroit News)
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They also need to tighten the rules about the repairs to correct the condition. Not liking "The Fix". It seems that 2 cent metal shim placed at the top of the gas pedal is the answer. Also Seems like a cheap way to get people off their back. But will it solve the problem? Any vehicle problems after the fix will be covered up for years. Maybe they can use the same shim to fix the prius brake issue.