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New Audit Rakes NHTSA Over the Coals On Takata Recall
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
A new audit released by the U.S. Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General rips the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over its handling of the Takata airbag recall. In the report, the Inspector General says NHTSA's recall monitoring process "does not ensure that remedies are reported completely and in a timely manner," nor does it "verify recall completion rates, although it has the authority to do so." Other issues the audit found included the long time it took the agency to determine the scope of the Takata recall and missing documents due to limited monitoring and inadequate procedures. "In June 2014, RMD [NHTSA's Recall Management Division] received a recall notification for Takata airbag inflators in over 140,000 vehicles. The notification stated that the manufacturer planned to tell owners to take their vehicles to dealerships for repairs in February 2015. However, as of February 2018, RMD had not received the manufacturer's remedy documents, and [the Office of Defects Investigation's] recall recordkeeping system does not indicate that RMD staff requested those documents," the report said. The Inspector General makes six recommendations including better training for staff, creating a system to handle missing documents and communications, and documenting various lessons from the Takata recall. NHTSA in a letter said it "did not endorse all of the report’s findings," but did agree to some of the recommendations. The agency has come under fire for a number of years due to its poor handling of various auto safety issues, including Toyota's unattended acceleration crisis and GM's ignition switch mess. This latest audit is fourth since 2011 by the inspector general. The last audit done in 2015 said NTHSA failed to investigate safety issues carefully, hold automakers accountable, and adequately train their staff which resulted in “significant safety concerns being overlooked.” Source: Reuters -
A new audit released by the U.S. Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General rips the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over its handling of the Takata airbag recall. In the report, the Inspector General says NHTSA's recall monitoring process "does not ensure that remedies are reported completely and in a timely manner," nor does it "verify recall completion rates, although it has the authority to do so." Other issues the audit found included the long time it took the agency to determine the scope of the Takata recall and missing documents due to limited monitoring and inadequate procedures. "In June 2014, RMD [NHTSA's Recall Management Division] received a recall notification for Takata airbag inflators in over 140,000 vehicles. The notification stated that the manufacturer planned to tell owners to take their vehicles to dealerships for repairs in February 2015. However, as of February 2018, RMD had not received the manufacturer's remedy documents, and [the Office of Defects Investigation's] recall recordkeeping system does not indicate that RMD staff requested those documents," the report said. The Inspector General makes six recommendations including better training for staff, creating a system to handle missing documents and communications, and documenting various lessons from the Takata recall. NHTSA in a letter said it "did not endorse all of the report’s findings," but did agree to some of the recommendations. The agency has come under fire for a number of years due to its poor handling of various auto safety issues, including Toyota's unattended acceleration crisis and GM's ignition switch mess. This latest audit is fourth since 2011 by the inspector general. The last audit done in 2015 said NTHSA failed to investigate safety issues carefully, hold automakers accountable, and adequately train their staff which resulted in “significant safety concerns being overlooked.” Source: Reuters View full article
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The past couple days have been crazy at Mitsubishi with executives possibly stepping down, the EPA ordering retest of vehicles, and the U.S. branch telling dealers there are no inconsistencies in the tests for the U.S. models. Let's get you up to date. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) requested details from Mitsubishi on its U.S. vehicle lineup to check for discrepancies. The EPA also requested Mitsubishi to retest their U.S. lineup. A day later, Japanese media reported that Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko and COO Tetsuro Aikawa would resign due to manipulation of fuel economy data. According to Reuters, Aikawa denied these reports. "It's my responsibility and my mission to put the company on track to recovery. Beyond that, I haven't had a chance to even consider" the possibility of resigning, Aikawa said. Reuters also reports that Mitsubishi Motors could be on the hook for almost $1 billion to compensate owners, pay back tax rebates from the government, and other payments. This is according to analysts at Nomura Holdings. Yesterday, Mitsubishi Motors North America said they found no testing problems with vehicles sold in the U.S. between 2013 to now. “Our findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these U.S. market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures,” Don Swearingen, COO of Mitsubishi Motors North America told dealers in a letter to dealers. The letter was obtained by Automotive News. Source: Reuters via Automotive News, Reuters, Automotive News (Subscription Required), Mitsubishi Press Release is on Page 2 Mitsubishi Motors North America Statement Regarding Fuel Consumption Testing Data April 27, 2016 Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in Tokyo recently announced irregularities concerning fuel consumption testing data. To confirm that U.S. market vehicles are not affected by this issue, Mitsubishi Motors R&D America, Inc., working together with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, proactively conducted an internal audit of U.S. market vehicles going back several model years to check previously submitted data to the EPA. After a thorough review of all 2013MY – 2017MY vehicles sold in the United States, we have determined that none of these vehicles are affected. Our findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these U.S. market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures. An entirely different system is used for the United States market to determine what the EPA calls Road Load Coefficient, strictly adhering to EPA procedures. The data generated is then independently verified for its accuracy before being submitted to the EPA for their fuel economy testing. MMNA has shared this information with EPA, California Air Resources Board and DOT. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has acted quickly to address this issue and is putting in place a committee of external experts to thoroughly and objectively continue this investigation. The results of the investigation, once completed, will be made public. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is also working closely with the Japanese Government to fully review the implications of this issue, and to discuss potential resolutions. View full article
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Mitsubishi and the Past Few Days it Would Like to Forget
William Maley posted an article in Mitsubishi
The past couple days have been crazy at Mitsubishi with executives possibly stepping down, the EPA ordering retest of vehicles, and the U.S. branch telling dealers there are no inconsistencies in the tests for the U.S. models. Let's get you up to date. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) requested details from Mitsubishi on its U.S. vehicle lineup to check for discrepancies. The EPA also requested Mitsubishi to retest their U.S. lineup. A day later, Japanese media reported that Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko and COO Tetsuro Aikawa would resign due to manipulation of fuel economy data. According to Reuters, Aikawa denied these reports. "It's my responsibility and my mission to put the company on track to recovery. Beyond that, I haven't had a chance to even consider" the possibility of resigning, Aikawa said. Reuters also reports that Mitsubishi Motors could be on the hook for almost $1 billion to compensate owners, pay back tax rebates from the government, and other payments. This is according to analysts at Nomura Holdings. Yesterday, Mitsubishi Motors North America said they found no testing problems with vehicles sold in the U.S. between 2013 to now. “Our findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these U.S. market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures,” Don Swearingen, COO of Mitsubishi Motors North America told dealers in a letter to dealers. The letter was obtained by Automotive News. Source: Reuters via Automotive News, Reuters, Automotive News (Subscription Required), Mitsubishi Press Release is on Page 2 Mitsubishi Motors North America Statement Regarding Fuel Consumption Testing Data April 27, 2016 Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in Tokyo recently announced irregularities concerning fuel consumption testing data. To confirm that U.S. market vehicles are not affected by this issue, Mitsubishi Motors R&D America, Inc., working together with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, proactively conducted an internal audit of U.S. market vehicles going back several model years to check previously submitted data to the EPA. After a thorough review of all 2013MY – 2017MY vehicles sold in the United States, we have determined that none of these vehicles are affected. Our findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these U.S. market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures. An entirely different system is used for the United States market to determine what the EPA calls Road Load Coefficient, strictly adhering to EPA procedures. The data generated is then independently verified for its accuracy before being submitted to the EPA for their fuel economy testing. MMNA has shared this information with EPA, California Air Resources Board and DOT. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has acted quickly to address this issue and is putting in place a committee of external experts to thoroughly and objectively continue this investigation. The results of the investigation, once completed, will be made public. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is also working closely with the Japanese Government to fully review the implications of this issue, and to discuss potential resolutions. -
Back in 2011, the U.S. Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) performed an audit into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after its handling of the Toyota unintended acceleration crisis. The OIG made ten recommendations on how NHTSA identifies and addresses safety defects such as developing a formal training program and documenting explanations as to why they have missed deadlines. Five years on, NHTSA hasn't put all of those recommendations into practice. According to Reuters, the OIG released a new audit showing the agency had not implemented all of the recommendations agreed upon in 2011 to help protect drivers. Out of the ten recommendations, NHTSA has only put three into practice. The audit showed that NHTSA had not implemented any sort of training for their employees to investigate possible defects. "As a result, (NHTSA's defects investigation) staff may not be sufficiently trained to identify and investigate potential vehicle defects, or ensure that vehicle manufacturers take prompt and effective action," the OIG states in the audit. The OIG also found NHTSA didn't document reasons as to why they delayed completing investigations in a timely fashion, along with retaining safety records. NHTSA spokesman Gordon Trowbridge tells Reuters the agency agrees with the recommendations and will apply all of them by June 30th. Source: Reuters, Office of Inspector General -
Back in 2011, the U.S. Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) performed an audit into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after its handling of the Toyota unintended acceleration crisis. The OIG made ten recommendations on how NHTSA identifies and addresses safety defects such as developing a formal training program and documenting explanations as to why they have missed deadlines. Five years on, NHTSA hasn't put all of those recommendations into practice. According to Reuters, the OIG released a new audit showing the agency had not implemented all of the recommendations agreed upon in 2011 to help protect drivers. Out of the ten recommendations, NHTSA has only put three into practice. The audit showed that NHTSA had not implemented any sort of training for their employees to investigate possible defects. "As a result, (NHTSA's defects investigation) staff may not be sufficiently trained to identify and investigate potential vehicle defects, or ensure that vehicle manufacturers take prompt and effective action," the OIG states in the audit. The OIG also found NHTSA didn't document reasons as to why they delayed completing investigations in a timely fashion, along with retaining safety records. NHTSA spokesman Gordon Trowbridge tells Reuters the agency agrees with the recommendations and will apply all of them by June 30th. Source: Reuters, Office of Inspector General View full article
