WASHINGTON—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking comment on possible methods, including email and other electronic means, to enhance owner notification in case of a tire or vehicle safety recall.
Two federal laws—the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST)—direct NHTSA to amend recall notification methods under current vehicle safety standards, according to the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) published in the Jan. 25 Federal Register.
MAP-21 authorizes NHTSA to find notification methods other than first-class mail, while the FAST Act expounds specifically on the need to include electronic means as a method of notifying motorists in case of a recall, the agency said.
“Much has changed in the ways and means by which manufacturers communicate with their customers and influence behavior since the 1970s, when U.S. law first required manufacturers to notify owners in the event of a safety recall,” NHTSA said.
“This ANPRM seeks comments and supporting information on the specific means and methods of notification that manufacturers use, and those that manufacturers consider are most effective, to reach their owners and purchasers as well as motivate them to have safety recalls completed,” it said.
March 10 is the deadline for comments on the ANPRM. The Federal Register notice can be found here.