Safety defects–new federal standard
"Automobile gripes scorch NHTSA hotline"
"WASHINGTON –The number of complaints by new car owners jumped 60 percent in the first year after a federal telephone hotline number was included in car owners' manuals, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found.
'We're very heartened by this,' said CARS Foundation president Rosemary Shahan, who noted that the owner's manual requirement increased the likelihood that safety complaints would be registered with the government, with very little cost to carmakers." [The notice was required in response to a petition filed by the CARS Foundation, and granted by NHTSA.]
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Automotive News, December 1991
"Spreading the Word about Defect Hotline"
"Starting this month, auto makers are required by federal law to tell new-car buyers about a hotline they should call, in addition to their dealer, if they suspect their vehicle has a safety defect.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigates the complaints phoned in, and may order a recall.
A car owner's complaint 'can make a difference,' says a spokeswoman for the CARS Foundation, the consumer group that petitioned for the rule. In one case, a person called to report that gas was leaking into the trunk of her 1981-model Peugeot -505. Upon investigating, the NHTSA found that the model's fuel cap didnšt seal properly. After the agency told Peugeot Motors of America about the problem, the company recalled 18, 232 of the cars."
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Wall Street Journal, October
3, 1990
Petition Granted, Leads to New National Auto Safety Law
"U.S. Department
of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington,
D.C. 20590
November 14, 1988
Dear Ms. Shahan:
The purpose of this letter is the notify you that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made a determination to grant the petition of May 26, 1987, of the CARS Foundation for motor vehicle manufacturers to include information in their vehicle owner's manuals advising owners about the agency's defect authority and providing them with the telephone number for the agency's Auto Safety Hotline. A copy of the notice to be published in the Federal Register, outlining the reasons for this determination, is enclosed for your information.
Sincerely,
Barry Felrice
Associate
Administrator for Rulemaking"
[Most major auto manufacturers actively opposed the petition.]