In wake of GM recall, Senators introduced legislation to increase transparency and earlier reporting of auto defects

 

Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today called on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to advise owners of recalled GM vehicles to cease driving them until they are repaired. A federal court judge recently rejected a request to issue a “park it now” order for recalled cars, deferring to the federal regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to do so instead. Additionally, the Senators are calling on DOT to compel GM to issue its own warnings directly to drivers, a step the company has refused to do to date. GM has indicated that it could take until October 2014 before it can complete all the needed repairs of impacted vehicles, leaving drivers at risk of further injury or even death. A faulty ignition switch defect in Chevy Cobalts and Saturn Ions has been linked to at least 13 deaths and dozens of injuries and led to a massive recall of 2.6 million GM vehicles.

 

“Every day that unrepaired vehicles remain on the road increases the risk of more injuries, deaths, and damage,” write the Senators. “We believe you – as the federal regulator referred to by the court – have a unique opportunity to protect public safety by taking stronger action to issue warnings of these dangers.”

 

A link to the letter to DOT can be found HERE.

 

Last month, Senators Markey and Blumenthal introduced S. 2151, The Early Warning Reporting Act, legislation that would require more information to be reported to the public Early Warning Reporting database when auto manufacturers first become aware of incidents involving fatalities.

  • For more information on the GM Recall click here.