GAO Asked to Review NHTSA Recall Procedures

The independent Government Accounting Office has been asked to look into how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gathers and acts on recall information.

The request was submitted on Wednesday in a letter from leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The letter also questions the agency's ability to adapt to technological advances in the industries it oversees.

The call for an investigation comes amid escalating criticism of NHTSA's leisurely action on flawed General Motors Co. ignition switches and recalls to replace exploding airbag inflators supplied by Takata Corp.

The letter to GAO went out as NHTSA was sending letters to 10 carmakers urging them "in the strongest possible terms" to fix recalled airbags quickly. Some of the recalls in question were launched two years ago, but the agency didn't launch its own probe until July.

NHTSA issued two consumer advisories last week, both containing errors about which cars it was targeting. The agency also directed consumers to check their cars against recall lists using a Web site that didn't work.

The agency, carmakers and Takata have been struggling for months to determine which cars contain the defective inflators.