Audit report faults U.S. oversight of auto safety recalls, Takata inflators

A government audit faulted NHTSA's oversight of auto recalls and said the agency’s “delayed action” may have hindered the callbacks of vehicles with defective Takata airbags.

The U.S. Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General said in an audit released to Congress Wednesday that NHTSA's management of vehicle recalls lacks proper oversight. The report found that in the massive Takata airbag recalls the agency did not follow its own procedures to address low recall completion rates and its "delayed action to investigate" complaints may have delayed the expansion of the recalls. read more »