NHTSA head: Fiat Chrysler faces punishment over recalls - Detroit Free Press
after regulators accused the automaker of flubbing recall fixes and repeatedly failing to notify the U. S. government and vehicle owners about defects. Fiat Chrysler could faces fines or other penalties — including a requirement that it buy back vehicles from consumers — after National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials concluded that the automaker failed to follow federal laws... NHTSA has already "tentatively concluded" that Fiat Chrysler has not fixed many of the 11 million vehicles falling under the various recalls in a reasonable time, failed to come up with adequate methods of repairing the defects or not ensured... Opening the hearing, Jennifer Timian, acting director of NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, outlined a series of recall campaigns which have had problems, including those involving fuel systems catching fire in rear-end collisions, defective... Speaking for the automaker, Scott Kunselman, FCA's senior vice president for vehicle safety, said Fiat Chrysler acknowledged many of NHTSA's concerns but has also made and continues to make changes to improve its recall performance. The last such public hearing was held by NHTSA nearly three years into whether a motorcycle brake manufacturer had adequately met recall requirements, but Rosekind, a former member of. Source: www.freep.com
