SACRAMENTO, Calif. —The California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) today announced its partnership with bipartisan legislators to resolve the need for new legislation to increase transparency and improve safety around recalled vehicles in California.
AB 287, the Consumer Automotive Recall Safety Act (CARS Act) will be comprehensive consumer protection legislation making California the first state in the nation to comprehensively address recalls of used cars.
“With a record number of recalls in 2014 and more recalls in the news almost every day, our dealers are increasingly getting questions from customers who are frustrated and confused about recalls,” said Brian Maas, CNCDA President. “Dealers are on the front lines of this issue. Even with federal safety regulators giving increased scrutiny to the recall process, we believe there’s a need and an opportunity for us to increase transparency for consumers and improve safety here in California.”
CNCDA has joined with a bipartisan team of legislators who will work with consumers, dealers, manufacturers, and rental car companies to craft a comprehensive recall solution. Assemblyman Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park), Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), Assemblyman Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay), and Assemblyman Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) all have agreed to author legislation to increase disclosure of recalls and improve safety.
“With such a dramatic increase in recalls by manufacturers, we must do a better job of alerting consumers to the recalls that affect them, and what they can do about it,” said Assemblyman Rich Gordon. “This legislation will increase awareness of recalls and encourage more outstanding recalls to be fixed, making our roads safer for everyone.”
2014 saw a record number of 63.7 million recalls in the U.S. more than twice as many as any prior year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expects an even higher number in 2015.
With this dramatic increase of recalls, consumers face even more confusion about whether and how a particular recall impacts them. Recalls vary greatly in scope and significance and consumers receive information about recalls from a patchwork of potentially conflicting sources. Combined, these factors mean consumers often have more questions than answers about this important issue leading to frustration and potentially impeding the process of fixing the most pressing safety issues.
Comprehensive legislation is needed to address consumer confusion and low recall repair completion rates. CNCDA and legislative authors are working together with stakeholders to continue discussions about improvements to the recall process in California.
