Audit Takes NHTSA to Task

Sloppy records, weak data-collecting processes, poor training and supervision and a bevy of inconsistent procedures have hurt the ability of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to identify and correct vehicle safety defects.

So says a scathing audit by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Office of Inspector General. The 41-page report details stunning lapses in NHTSA's ability to assess data and identify safety issues.

The analysis says NHTSA's guideline for carmakers about what problems to include in their quarterly "early warning" safety reports are vague and inconsistent. It adds that information reported by manufacturers is "ultimately of little use" because there are no standards about how to categorize the data.

The report indicates NHTSA failed to act a decade ago on ample evidence of the defective ignition switch recalled in 2014 by General Motors Co. The audit says NHTSA received nearly 9,300 consumer complaints between 2003 and 2014 about the cars GM eventually recalled, including a letter from an owner who accurately described the nature of the defect ("even with the slightest touch, the car will shut off while in motion") and adds prophetically, "I don't have to list to you the safety problems that may happen."

The audit says NHTSA doesn't follow standard statistical practices to analyze data about possible safety problems and "cannot reliably identify the most statistically significant safety issues to pursue."

Similarly, tips from consumers aren't processed well. The audit says the agency's Web site doesn't offer enough options and fails to explain what some options mean. One result: At least half of consumer submissions incorrectly identify the affected part.