Bloomberg News reports NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind told reporters that “public attention on auto-safety defects likely means” that recalls this year in the US will surpass the record last year of over 60 million vehicles. According to the article, Rosekind said that improving the way the NHTSA “tracks potential defects and automakers recall cars will be a top priority.” Rosekind also stated that regulators have to make sure safety problems are addressed, the report notes.
Reuters quotes Rosekind as saying, “I would expect that we will actually see an increase in recalls” in 2015. He added, “This is one of those cases where more recalls could actually mean the system is working better.”
Detroit News reports Rosekind said he plans to “seek new authority and additional positions” for the NHTSA, “because it’s underfunded and there’s room for improvement.” Rosekind is quoted as saying, “There is no question that this is an agency that is under-resourced.” However, the article notes that Rosekind declined to comment on “how many additional people he needs.” Meanwhile, Automotive News reports Rosekind said that improving the agency’s “vehicle defect analysis and recall system” is a top priority. According to the article, Rosekind said the NHTSA is “evaluating its entire recall infrastructure to find improvements.”
Obama discusses cheap gas prices, concerns over auto recalls during interview. In a 1,100+ word article, the Detroit News reports on its interview with President Barack Obama. The paper says that during the interview, Obama warned that low gas prices “won’t last indefinitely,” and stood by “his support of small, fuel-efficient vehicles.” Later, the article says that Obama spoke about his concerns over slow auto recalls. Obama said during the interview that he wants new NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind to “work with the auto companies to catch problems early and recognize that in today’s environment — with savvy consumers and active social media — you are being penny wise and pound foolish not catching these problems on the front end.” Obama stated,”Working in a systematic way to identify what has caused some of these recall problems, why isn’t it that they haven’t been caught earlier and fixing the process should be Mark’s top priority.”
From the news release of the American Association for Justice.
