From Tire Review
A pair of like bills introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives seek to pull back the curtain and give consumers direct access to TREAD Act safety filings by both tiremakers and automakers.
SB 2151 and HR 4364 would give consumers access to the so-called “early warning reports” required under the TREAD Act. Signed into law in 2001, the TREAD Act requires automakers and tire producers to deliver to NHTSA regular reports concerning product quality and performance complaints and concerns registered by consumers.
At the time, the car and tire producers claimed such reporting would reveal proprietary competitive information, and won concessions from Congress that kept the details of those reports secret.
In the face of the recent massive GM recalls and concerns over tire recalls and tire age, some members of Congress are trying to strip away those protections. The Rubber Manufacturers Association told Tire Review it opposes these bills. On June 20, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) Board of Directors voted to support the legislation.
According to TIA, under HR 4364 – the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2014 – “manufacturers would be required to report additional information on fatal incidents to NHTSA’s early warning reporting system, and NHTSA would be required to improve the availability and accessibility of all online vehicle safety information (including early warning data, studies, investigations, inspections, incident reports and other materials); and provide immediate public notice on its website of all agency inspection and investigation activities and any resulting enforcement actions.”
TIA said the bill “would also improve accountability, by ensuring corporate responsibility for safety information reported to NHTSA, allowing individuals to appeal the denial of a defect petition, and restricting NHTSA employees responsible for vehicle safety from certain post-employment activities.”
And the bill “would strengthen NHTSA’s vehicle safety program by providing the agency with additional funding and enhanced NHTSA enforcement authorities, specifically through increased civil penalties for violations of federal safety standards and the authority to expedite a recall in the case of an imminent hazard to the public.”
