The country’s top auto safety regulator put his rubber stamp on legislation introduced in Congress this week that would increase the power of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to force automobile recalls. Responding to the legislation, the NHTSA’s head hancho David Strickland said “whether it’s negotiating with manufacturers or the ability for the agency to move forward in a mandatory fashion — those are the core of what we want to achieve.”
The legislation is largely a response to Toyota’s massive safety oversights, which led to the recall of 6.5 million vehicles over the past year. Regulations being considered include implementing a tax on the sales of new cars to fund an increase in NHTSA’s budget, and installing black boxes in new cars that would record the events 60 seconds before a crash. Industry executives have been vague about their support for the legislation, which they claim would add thousands of dollars to the cost of new vehicles.
With that in mind, we give you This Week in Automobile Industry Recalls:
- First, it was announced Monday that the NHTSA would investigate complaints about 10,000 2007 Dodge Calibers due to sticky pedal complaints similar to those that have plagued Toyota. Consumer Reports writes, “coincidentially the pedal assemblies were built by the CTS Corporation, which is the same supplier that built the pedals in eight Toyota models that were recalled for sticky accelerator pedals in January.” I can’t help but wonder how coincidential that really is.
- On Wednesday, GM announced that it would recall 162,000 2006-2010 Hummer H3 SUVs based on complaints that its hood is prone to detaching from the vehicle while on the road. GM said dealers will add extra adhesive to the hoods to assure that they don’t become loose. This is likely the last problem to be reported by the infamous gas guzzler; struggling to find a buyer for the Hummer, GM has said it will shut down production.
- Last Month, Consumer Reports issued a rare “Don’t Buy” warning for the Lexus GX460, saying it carried a rollover risk when accelerating around turns. This morning, Consumer Reports lifted that warning, saying that the recall fixes helped the Lexus GX 460 pass the test after all.
It’s been another interesting week for automobile recalls, and there are likely more to come. So until next week, enjoy Friday afternoon with this Toyota Recall Rap Video:
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Andy is a highly recognized wrongful death lawyer in California.