Center for Autosafety
Defect Investigations
Investigations News
- G.M. Deems Steering Issue Unworthy of Recall – 4/10/15
- The Register’s Editorial: Feds’ auto safety agency needs to get in gear – 11/2/14
- Probe finds NHTSA moves slowly on investigation requests – 8/11/14
- DOT Inspector General Audits of NHTSA’s Defect Investigation System
- CAS Fact Sheet: NHTSA Shutdown Endangers American Drivers
- Vehicle safety complaints not investigated during shutdown
- Shutdown would force NHTSA to stop vehicle investigations – 9/30/13
- Changed auto recall accounting methods raise questions – 2/25/13
- Auto safety concerns often stay secret – 2/25/13
- NHTSA limping along, some say – 2/23/13
- U.S. Inquiries Over Safety Dragging On for Years – 2/22/13
- Auto safety concerns often stay secret – 2/22/13
- What Doesn’t NHTSA Want You to Know About Auto Safety
- GAO Report – NHTSA Has Options to Improve the Safety Defect Recall Process – June 2011
- DOT Inspector General Report – Process Improvements Are Needed for Identifying and Addressing Vehicle Safety Defects – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – 10/6/2011
- Government Deepens Investigation of Saturn Ion for Steering Problem
- Ford Minivans Investigated for Transmission Failure
- Woman Asks U.S. to Investigate Honda Accord Hybrid
- U.S. Department of Transportation Releases Results from NHTSA-NASA Study of Unintended Acceleration in Toyota Vehicles
NHTSA Investigative Process
- Weak Oversight, Deadly Cars
- NHTSA Policy Memo on Responding to Defect Petitions Within 120 Days
- Statement of CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow on DOT Inspector General NHTSA Audit Report
- DOT Inspector General Report – Inadequate Data and Analysis Undermine NHTSA’s Efforts to Identify and Investigate Vehicle Safety Concerns
- MAP-21 Recalls and Early Warning Reporting Rulemaking Comments – 11/9/12
- GAO Report – NHTSA Has Options to Improve the Safety Defect Recall Process – June 2011
- GAO Report: Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Defect-Testing Procedures Were Reasonable–Public Announcements of Potential Safety Defects Could Be Improved
- DOT Inspector General Report – Process Improvements Are Needed for Identifying and Addressing Vehicle Safety Defects – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – 10/6/2011
- Safety Recalls May Be ‘Voluntary,’ but Are Required by Law
- Poor Records Thwart Investigation of Federal Safety Agency
- NHTSA Letter to Nader Re: Defect Investigation
- Ford Response to NHTSA Death Inquiry Letter
- Ford Explorer Death Inquiry Letter from NHTSA
- CAS Files Freedom of Information Act Request Re: Early Warning Reporting
- Public Release of EWR Data
- Follow-Up Audit of the Office of Defects Investigation – 9/23/04
- Review of the Office of Defects Investigation, DOT Inspector General – 1/3/02
Early Warning Reporting (EWR)
- Blumenthal, Markey Statement on NHTSA-Fiat EWR Civil Penalty – 12/10/15
- Volkswagen Failed to Report Fatal Incident to Regulator
- For Volkswagen, New Questions Arise on U.S. Injury Reporting
- Markey, Blumenthal Blast New Revelation of Fiat Chrysler Early Warning Reporting System Failure
- CAS Calls for Criminal Investigation of Honda EWR Failure
- Almost Half of American Vehicles Aren’t Covered Under Existing Safety Regulations
- How To Find Manufacturer EWR Reports Based on NHTSA Death & Injury Inquiries
- 49 CFR Part 579 – Reporting of Information and Communications about Potential Defects
- NHTSA Fact Sheet on Early Warning Reporting
- NHTSA EWR Death Inquiry “DI” Index
- NHTSA Compendium for Early Warning Reporting for Manufacturers of Motor Vehicles Having an Annual Production of 500 or More Vehicles
- Markey, Blumenthal Statement on NHTSA’s “Path Forward”
- CAS Statement on Honda $70 Million Fine for Violations of NHTSA Early Warning Reporting Regulation
- Markey and Blumenthal Query NHTSA on Auto Injury and Defect Reporting Compliance
- Markey and Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Ensure Transparency, More Reporting to Prevent Auto Injuries, Fatalities
- Letter to NHTSA Administrator Strickland RE: EWR Death Inquiry Lists
- CAS Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder re: NHTSA Freedom of Information Act and Transparency
- FOIA Response Re: Early Warning Reporting (EWR) and Death Inquiries (DI’s)
NHTSA Records
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Flat File Downloads
- Safety Research & Strategies Comments on NHTSA 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
- NHTSA ODI: Office Procedures for Conducting Defect Investigations
- Markey: Earlier Reporting of Accident Information Defects Needed to Prevent Auto Fatalities, Injuries – 2/26/14
- Senator Edward J. Markey Letter to NHTSA Administrator David Friedman re: Early Warning Reporting
- NHTSA Administrator Runge Agrees to Put CAS Complaints in NHTSA Database – 12/2/2003
- Exemplary Equipment Queries
- Agency Under Scrutiny for Oversight of Highway Money
- Poor Records Thwart Investigation of Federal Safety Agency
- NHTSA ODI Electronic Submission Index
- Safety data a trade secret?
Special Crash Investigations
Steering
Sudden Acceleration
- Dr. Ronald A. Belt’s Sudden Acceleration Papers
- Parris Boyd Toyota Blog
- EE Times Articles on Toyota SUA
- Toyota MDL Documents
- RQ10-003 Index
- Federal investigators end probe into stuck throttles in Ford Escapes after ABC15 Investigation – 2/28/13
- Toyota Fined $17,350,000 by NHTSA (Lexus Floor Mats)
- Dr. Ronald A. Belt’s Sudden Acceleration Papers
- Years of lawsuits and complaints raise new questions about Ford Escape recall
- Family’s Ford Escape crashes in Texas; Ford recall questioned
- Sen. Grassley questions Toyota sudden acceleration probe
- 2002-2004 Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute Sudden Acceleration
- Firmware forensics: best practices in embedded software source-code discovery – 10/27/11
- 2009-2010 SCI Toyota Unintended Acceleration Investigations
- CALCE Prediction of Potential Failures Risks in Toyota Vehicles Confirmed by NASA Scientists
- Toyota’s Independent Quality Advisory Panel Headed to Japan
- Toyota and Lexus Deaths and Injuries found in Death Incident Investigations
- Toyota and Lexus Deaths and Injuries Claims in NHTSA’s Early Warning Reporting System through 2009
- Washington Post Articles on Toyota Sudden Acceleration
- Secretary LaHood Announces DOT is Seeking Maximum Civil Penalty from Toyota
- Consultants say interference in vehicle electronics is possible
- EA08-045 Documents
- Saylor Family crash 911 call
- Other News on Toyota Sudden Acceleration
- New York Times Articles on Toyota Sudden Acceleration
- Los Angeles Times Articles
- Out to lunch with Diana Foote: Car troubles bring back haunting memories
- Floor mat problem sparked 2000 Toyota recall in U.K.
- Toyota to Provide Additional Services to New York Customers Affected by Recent Recalls
- NHTSA Launches Probe into Timeliness of Three Toyota Recalls
- Lawmaker: Toyota knew of electronic defects
- Consumer Advisory: NHTSA’s Advice to Toyota Customers
- The paper trail: As complaints grew, oversight remained lax
- NHTSA Press Backgrounder on Electronic Probe, 2-3-10
- Energy & Commerce Committee Requests More Information on Toyota Recall
- NHTSA Consumer Advisory on Toyota Recalls
- Avis Budget Group Announces Removal of Recalled Toyotas from U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico Rental Fleet
- NHTSA Study: “An Examination of Sudden Acceleration” Jan. 1989
- CAS Statement on 11-25-09 Toyota Uncontrolled Acceleration Recall
- NHTSA Statement Concerning The Safety Recall of 3.8 million Toyota Vehicles
- Toyota Announces Fix for Accelerator Pedal Entrapment Problem
- Toyota Sudden Acceleration
- NHTSA Statement Concerning The Safety Recall of 3.8 million Toyota Vehicles
- Toyota pickup probe pushed
- Technology Puts Unintended Acceleration Back in Spotlight
- Again, NHTSA Probes Sudden Acceleration – March 22, 2004
Transmissions
Other Defect Investigations
- Consumer Groups: Subaru Owners Deserve Transmission Recall Not Extended Warranty
- CAS Comments on NHTSA Enforcement Guidance Bulletin 2016-02
- DP14-004 – TIPM Defect Petition Document File
- CAS Calls for NHTSA Investigation of Chrysler Totally Integrated Power Modules (TIPM)
- CAS Defect Petition on Chrysler Totally Integrated Power Modules (TIPM)
- The Center for Auto Safety thinks melting dashboards are a safety defect and should be recalled – 7/24/14
- Government Investigates 88,000 Honda Pilots for Faulty Brakes
- Speed Control a Small Factor in Car Claims
- Consumer Advisory: Toyota Announces Recall of 110,000 Tundra Pickups for Excessive Corrosion