The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that Ford Motor has agreed to a $165 million civil penalty after a government investigation found that the automaker failed to recall vehicles. bad rearview camera in a timely manner.
Under a consent order, which will last at least three years, the No. 2 U.S. automaker must pay $65 million in cash, spend $45 million on advanced data analytics, a new testing facility and other projects, and $55 million. The dollar will be kept in abeyance. Compliance with the agreement.
This fine is the second largest in the history of the agency.
In August 2021, NHTSA launched an investigation after Ford recalled 620,246 vehicles for a rear camera problem in 2020, to determine whether the carmaker recalled the vehicles in a timely manner.
Ford expanded that recall into 2022 and added about 24,000 vehicles in March.
NHTSA said Ford provided inaccurate or incomplete information, did not submit timely quarterly reports for other recalls and did not fully comply with the public availability of vehicle recall information.
Ford said it disagreed with NHTSA’s assessment.
Ford said it was pleased to resolve the investigation and was “committed to continuously improving safety and compliance at Ford.”
Ford should thoroughly review all recalls filed in the last three years and, if necessary, file new recalls.
NHTSA said an independent third party will oversee all performance obligations and make recommendations and assess the company’s compliance with the consent order.
Under the order, Ford will hold quarterly meetings with NHTSA and is required to develop safety data analyses.
Ford should also build an imaging test lab that focuses on low-voltage electronics and invest in a vehicle identification number-based traceability system to track components at the individual vehicle level.
NHTSA requires Ford to “review its recall decision-making process and make any necessary changes to it, including Ford’s ability to analyze data to identify safety-related defects and non-compliances” “
