Dems call for better auto recall system

Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told regulators that the regional vehicle recall system is flawed and putting drivers at risk.

Markey and Blumenthal wrote a letter the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday. They said exploding airbags made by Takata was a prime example of how the “patchwork” recall system is failing. 

{mosads}“Regional recalls that treat cars and trucks like they never leave their home makes no sense as a policy to protect American families,” the senators wrote. “We believe that this practice risks the safety of those whose cars may not be registered in the states in which the recalls occur.”

The senators also said they’re concerned automakers are not fully complying with the Early Warning Reporting (EWR) system. They said that Honda, which used the Takata airbags, failed to comply by not submitting quarterly reports about accidents caused by safety defects.

“We are concerned that NHTSA has not made real efforts to determine whether automakers have complied with this requirement to alert the public to potentially deadly defects,” the senators wrote.

They asked acting NHTSA administrator David Friedman for more information about the regional recall system and why he thinks it is effective by Nov. 7.