The NHTSA investigation found Volvo Group North America — a collective of several manufacturers — failed to comply with some recall and reporting requirements.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a consent order to Volvo Group North America with $130 million in total civil penalties after an investigation found the company failed to recall heavy-duty trucks and buses in a timely fashion and failed to comply with other recall and reporting requirements. It is one of the largest-ever penalties for violations of the Vehicle Safety Act.
According to the consent order, NHTSA found that Volvo Group North America violated the act by untimely filing recalls, providing inaccurate info in DIRs, failing to comply w/ notification requirements, not submitting quarterly recall & manufacturer communications reports, and not submitting death/injury incident & field reports. The mutually agreed consent order includes monetary & non-monetary provisions to improve compliance & safety practices.
Third-Party Audits
Volvo Group North America has agreed to oversight by an independent third-party auditor and to meet regularly with NHTSA to ensure safety issues are addressed. The auditor will review Volvo’s processes and recommend/oversee the implementation of improvements to enhance compliance with the Vehicle Safety Act, regulations, and the consent order. They will also review past submissions to NHTSA for accuracy and completeness.
Development of Safety Data Analytics Infrastructure
- Volvo Group North America will develop and implement a safety data analytics infrastructure to enhance recall detection & investigation.
- Written procedures & training on compliance with Vehicle Safety Act and regulations, plus a training schedule for employees, will be developed.
- NHTSA and Volvo Group North America will launch a user interface to allow users to search vehicle identification numbers for open recalls.
- A system to support NHTSA’s VIN lookup tool will be implemented.
Pay Up
The consent order requires an upfront payment of $65 million and $20 million for a safety data analytics infrastructure, plus an additional $45 million deferred penalty. Vehicles related to this order: 2017 Volvo Bus 9700, 2011/2016 Volvo 780, 2009-2017 Volvo VAH/VH/VHD/VN/VNL/VNM/VNX/VT. Term of 3 years, extendable for up to two additional years.
https://www.truckinginfo.com/10192255/nhtsa-volvo-group-na-failed-to-comply-with-recall-requirements
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