Calls for Improved Safety Recall System in U.S. Face Roadblocks

Though there have been pushes to improve the process for getting safety recall repairs completed in the U.S., very little change has been made–and some have credited that to the interests of the most powerful figures in the automotive industry, according to Jalopnik.

A monthlong investigation from the Detroit Free Press revealed that automakers overseen by federal regulators are largely unsuccessful with addressing potentially fatal defects in some of their oldest vehicles.

For years, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has been pushing for a bill that would ban dealers selling used vehicles with open recalls. Since 2015, Blumenthal has introduced or reintroduced his bill, but it has made no progress.

Blumenthal is joined in his stance by experts such as safety researcher Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies and auto safety advocate Michael Brooks–the latter of whom credits lobbyists in the automotive industry as a roadblock to passing legislation like Blumenthal’s.

“Because it seems like you would want to get them off the road as soon as possible,” added Brooks.

The National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents around 16,000 dealers, is an opponent of Blumenthal’s legislation. The group has argued that enacting a complete ban on selling a vehicle with any recall could result in additional costs for consumers, and that it likely wouldn’t help more recalled vehicles get repaired.

Honda Motor has previously supported legislation that would require outstanding safety recalls to be completed on a vehicle before it can be registered with the state–but consumer advocate groups have criticized this solution as potentially shifting the burden onto low-income families, who are often dependent on their vehicles.