The agency earlier this week singled out FCA when it scheduled a public hearing to determine if the company is failing to effectively “remedy safety defects and issue required notices” in a list of 20 different recall campaigns. The controversial recall of older Jeep models over fuel-tank fires is on the list, likely due to its low fix rate years after the campaign was first announced.
In a speech following his SAE Foundation award for industry leader of the year, Marchionne suggested that all automakers, not just FCA, are under increasing pressure from the NHTSA.
“We have done and continue to do a phenomenal amount of work to ensure that we make our cars as safe as we can and that we respond to any recall initiative in an efficient fashion,” he said, as quoted by Automotive News. “The real issue is, for organizations like ours and I’m sure for others, the process of adjustment to this new regulatory environment is going to be painful.”
Replacement-part production and owner outreach are both grey areas that have come under increasing scrutiny from the NHTSA. The agency has encouraged some automakers go above and beyond their legal obligations, sourcing replacement parts from multiple suppliers or using ad campaigns and social media to notify owners.
The agency will hear statements from FCA officials and the public during its July 2 hearing, before deciding if further action is warranted.
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