The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is issuing a notice of its intent to enforce and implement the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 30166(f), as amended by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
NHTSA is issuing this notice to make manufacturers aware of the statutory requirement to index their communications to dealers, owners, or purchasers about a defect or noncompliance, and to provide recommendations for complying with the index requirement.
Additionally, a change in the law requires NHTSA to publicly post all such communications on its website and it is therefore providing notice of its intention to do so. NHTSA will also publicly post on its Web site the manufacturers' indexes to their communications as they are received.
Motor vehicle equipment manufacturers must provide NHTSA with copies of communications they send to their dealers, owners, or purchasers. Specifically, the Safety Act requires manufacturers to submit ``a true or representative copy of each communication to the manufacturer's dealers or to owners or purchasers of a motor vehicle or replacement equipment produced by the manufacturer about a defect or noncompliance with a motor vehicle safety standard prescribed under this chapter in a vehicle or equipment that is sold or serviced.''
More information is available at:
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-03-25/html/2016-06759.htm