Motor Vehicle Recall Program

Testimony was given concerning a prior GAO report on the Motor Vehicle Recall Program. Despite a yearly expenditure of millions of dollars to identify vehicles with safety defects so that unsafe vehicles can be recalled for repair, owners continue to drive potentially dangerous vehicles. Only 50 percent of those owners who were notified of manufacturer recalls took their vehicles in for inspection or correction. Statistics show that it often takes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) years to investigate a potential safety defect before a recall is initiated. Moreover, manufacturers' records on owners become less reliable for older vehicles so that the longer it takes to initiate recall, the less owners would be likely to respond. GAO reviewed the NHTSA Motor Vehicle Recall Program to determine whether NHTSA can improve its timeliness in identifying safety defects. The review showed that many NHTSA investigations remain in limbo for months awaiting Office of Chief Counsel concurrence. As a result, supporting information often needs to be updated. As a result of the GAO review, NHTSA has taken steps to expedite the investigation process. GAO found that owners did not respond to the recall notices because the recall letters were too difficult to understand. GAO redesigned the letters to substantially reduce the reading level required to understand them. GAO also believed that reminder postcards sent shortly after the initial recall letters would increase owner response. Two vehicle manufacturers are willing to test the simplified letters in actual recalls and NHTSA is willing to cooperate in efforts to simplify the recall letters.