Safety Chief Admits “Need to Improve” on Recall Monitoring

The acting head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conceded that "we need to improve" after a withering cross examination about its role in General Motors Co.'s 10-year delay in recalling faulty ignition switches now linked to 19 fatalities.

Deputy Administrator David Friedman claimed repeatedly to an openly skeptical Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee that GM withheld data which would have triggered a recall sooner.

He also eventually acknowledged the agency has room for improvement. He added that NHTSA has held lengthy stern discussions with carmaker executives about establishing an industrywide "new normal" level of diligence about safety flaws.

Subcommittee Chair Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) complained that outsiders were able to analyze NHTSA's own database to identify the problem before the agency did. "We need some admission that this was not done right," she declared. Another panelist accused NHTSA of "nodding off on safety."

Friedman contended that engine stalling isn't necessarily a safety issue, a claim that drew howls from several committee members. He also said the agency, like GM, didn't immediately draw a connection between stalls and the vehicle's airbags not working. GM has since shifted its policy to assume any engine stalling issue is a safety problem.