Fiat Chrysler Admits New Federal Reporting Violations
By Jennifer Geiger
November 4, 2015
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced today that it did not correctly notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of problems with its vehicles. NHTSA says the automaker underreported deaths and injuries related to its vehicles.
The automaker said it violated the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act when reporting vehicle-related deaths and injuries. The act requires automakers to notify NHTSA every three months of accidents that caused injuries or deaths. In July, FCA was ordered to pay a $105 million civil penalty fine to settle its mishandling of 23 separate recalls covering more than 11 million vehicles.
FCA said in a statement that it “identified deficiencies in its TREAD reporting” and “promptly notified NHTSA of these issues, and committed to a thorough investigation, to be followed by complete remediation.”
FCA blamed the oversight on the “heightened scrutiny of its regulatory reporting obligations growing out of its recent consent order with NHTSA,” and that it “is in regular communication with NHTSA about its progress in the investigation.” The automaker also pledged its continual cooperation with federal regulators.
It’s unclear if FCA will be hit with more fines, but it’s far from the only automaker on the hot seat with NHTSA regarding proper recall reporting. Honda agreed to pay a $70 million fine for failing to disclose deaths and injuries related to its Takata airbag recall.
Editor’s note: This post was updated on Sept. 30.
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Jennifer Geiger
News Editor Jennifer Geiger joined the automotive industry in 2003, much to the delight of her Corvette-obsessed dad. Jennifer is an expert reviewer, certified car-seat technician and mom of three. She wears a lot of hats — many of them while driving a minivan.