Vehicle Safety
NHTSA Begins Effort to Require Impaired Driving Prevention Tech in New Cars
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation The United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has formally launched an effort to require that drunk or impaired driving prevention technologies come standard in new vehicles. In its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, the agency requests the public’s input on the information…
Read MoreU.S. Senators Raise Alarm on Alleged Tesla Safety Flaws
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation United States Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have sent a letter to Elon Musk following a report from Reuters on Tesla vehicles’ safety flaws. In their letter, the Senators note that, “[t]he report details complaints about suspension connection points, including fore and aft links,…
Read MoreU.S. Senate Bill would Weaken Federal Insurance Office’s Authority
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation A bill titled the “Insurance Data Protection Act” (S. 3349) introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) would restrict the Federal Insurance Office’s (FIO) ability to collect information directly from insurance companies. It would also rescind the director of FIO’s subpoena authority. Housed in…
Read MoreLiDAR Imports and Exports to and from China Scrutinized by U.S. House Members
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation A bipartisan group of twenty members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to the Secretaries of the Departments of Defense, Commerce, and the Treasury raising concern with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology imports and exports to and from China. The letter – led…
Read MoreFTC Returns Additional $857K to Those Harmed by Junk Auto Fee Practices
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it is disbursing more than $857,000 cumulatively in its second round of compensatory payments to customers harmed by Napleton Automotive Group’s illegal junk fees and discriminatory practices. Napleton Automotive Group, which is based in Illinois, is the thirteenth largest dealership…
Read MoreNHTSA Withdraws Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications Regulatory Proposal
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has withdrawn a regulatory proposal that would have required certain vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologies in all light-vehicles. In its formal filing declaring its decision to withdraw the regulatory proposal, NHTSA stated that it still believes that, “V2V and other vehicle-to-everything (V2X)…
Read MoreBangor Daily News Opposes Ballot Question 4
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation The Bangor Daily News Editorial Board published an editorial piece in which they urged Mainers to vote NO on ballot question 4. Mainers will be casting votes on this question on November 7. Proponents of ballot question 4 claim the law would enshrine a vehicle right to…
Read MoreEPA Excludes MVAC Fluid Recovery from Final Ruling on Hydrofluorocarbons
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation Yesterday, the EPA released its final rulemaking on the Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Management of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes under Section (h) of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020. Notably for automotive repairers, the regulation excludes any mention of the recovery/recycling/reclamation of MVAC (motor vehicle…
Read MoreCA Bureau of Automotive Repair Proposes Changes to “Tear Down” Disclosure Rules
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) has proposed amendments to the language and disclosure requirements in the state’s tear down disclosure regulations. BAR will hold a regulatory workshop open to the public on this proposal on October 19, 2023. Click here to read the proposed amendments. Click…
Read MoreASA Signs Letter Urging CT DMV Commissioner to Reconsider Interpretations of New Law
House Committees Schedule Markups on Key Automotive Legislation Today, ASA joined with five other organizations in sending a letter to Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicle Commissioner Tony Guerrera. The letter respectfully urges Commissioner Guerrera to reconsider his interpretation of a new law passed by the state legislature – and in effect starting October 1, 2023…
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