The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) may soon have the power to issue out stop-sale orders to automakers.
Currently automakers are the ones that have to issue out stop-sale orders to dealerships, if a pending recall or fix is necessary before a vehicle is sold. Under a new bill sent to congress for approval, NHTSA would be able to order automakers to cease the sale of vehicles with dangerous safety defects or “in cases where there is an imminent risk of injury or death,” according to a summary of the bill that was released. In addition, the agency would be able to use the authority prior to determining that a safety defect exists and without input from manufacturers, which is required under current law.
SEE ALSO: Chevrolet Trax, Encore Stop-Sale Ordered
The legislation is part of U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s six-year, $478 billion transportation bill and aims to give NHTSA greater ability to police auto safety. The agency has been under fire in recent years due to deadly defects including GM’s ignition-switch recall and the massive Takata airbag recall. The bill would also nearly triple the funding and double the staff of NHTSA’s defect investigations office as well as toughening the penalties the agency can levy against automakers that break the law.
[Source: Automotive News]
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