Due to the federal government shutdown, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that they will be forced to close several branches of the agency and cut back on over fifty percent of their employees. While functions funded by the Highway Trust Fund will continue; defect investigations, field crash investigations, review of consumer complaints, and notifications of new vehicle and equipment recalls will all be suspended.
A note on the NHTSA’s website reads:
- “Due to a lapse of Federal Government funding, NHTSA is unable to post any new recalls after close of business September 30, 2013. Recall searches will remain available but are only current as of that time. Consumers can continue to file safety defect complaints via this website, but they will not be evaluated by NHTSA staff until funding and services are restored.”
Some of the NHTSA’s work stoppages will include the setting of new regulations for autos such as rear visibility standards, car assessment testing and release of star ratings, investigations into odometer fraud, and the stoppage of vehicle safety research such as the ongoing Ann Arbor testing of 3,000 connected vehicles.
