49 U.S.C. § 30119: Notification procedures

a clear description of the defect or noncompliance; an evaluation of the risk to motor vehicle safety reasonably related to the defect or noncompliance; the measures to be taken to obtain a remedy of the defect or noncompliance; a statement that the manufacturer giving notice will remedy the defect or noncompliance without charge under section 30120 of this title ; the earliest date on which the defect or noncompliance will be remedied without charge, and for tires, the period during which the defect or noncompliance will be remedied without charge under section 30120 of this title ; the procedure the recipient of a notice is to follow to inform the Secretary of Transportation when a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer does not remedy the defect or noncompliance without charge under section 30120 of this title ; and other information the Secretary prescribes by regulation. The date specified by a manufacturer in a notification under subsection (a)(5) of this section or section 30121(c)(2) of this title is the earliest date that parts and facilities reasonably can be expected to be available to remedy the defect or noncompliance. The Secretary may disapprove the date. prescribed by the Secretary, after the manufacturer receives notice of a final decision under section 30118(b) of this title ; or after the manufacturer first decides that a safety-related defect or noncompliance exists under section 30118(c) of this title . to each person registered under State law as the owner and whose name and address are reasonably ascertainable by the manufacturer through State records or other available sources; or if a registered owner is not notified under clause (A) of this paragraph, to the most recent purchaser known to the manufacturer. Notification required under section 30118 of this title about replacement equipment shall be sent in the manner prescribed by the Secretary, by regulation, to the most recent purchaser known to the manufacturer. the magnitude of the risk to motor vehicle safety caused by the defect or noncompliance; and the cost of public notice compared to the additional number of owners the notice may reach. A dealer to whom a motor vehicle or replacement equipment was delivered shall be notified in the manner prescribed by the Secretary, by regulation. If the Secretary decides that a notification sent by a manufacturer under this section has not resulted in an adequate number of motor vehicles or items of replacement equipment being returned for remedy, the Secretary may order the manufacturer to send a 2d notification in the way the Secretary prescribes by regulation. to send additional notifications in the manner prescribed by the Secretary, by regulation; or to take additional steps to locate and notify each person registered under State law as the owner or lessee or the most recent purchaser or lessee, as appropriate; and to emphasize the magnitude of the safety risk caused by the defect or noncompliance in such notification. In this subsection, “leased motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle that is leased to a person for at least 4 months by a lessor that has leased at least 5 motor vehicles in the 12 months before the date of the notification. A lessor that receives a notification required by section 30118 of this title about a leased motor vehicle shall provide a copy of the notification to the lessee in the way the Secretary prescribes by regulation. The name of the component or components. A description of the component or components. The part number of the component or components, if any. by improving the organization, availability, readability, and functionality of the website; by accommodating high-traffic volume; and by establishing best practices for scheduling routine website maintenance.” Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act [ Dec. 4, 2015 ], the Secretary shall prescribe a final rule revising the regulations under section 577.7 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to include notification by electronic means in addition to notification by first class mail. In this subsection, the term ‘electronic means’ includes electronic mail and may include such other means of electronic notification, such as social media or targeted online campaigns, as determined by the Secretary.” Not later than October 1, 2016 , the Secretary shall implement a 2-year pilot program to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a State process for informing consumers of open motor vehicle recalls at the time of motor vehicle registration in the State. To carry out this program, the Secretary may make a grant to each eligible State, but not more than 6 eligible States in total, that agrees to comply with the requirements under subsection (c). Funds made available to a State under this section shall be used by the State for the pilot program described in subsection (a). submit an application in such form and manner as the Secretary prescribes; agree to notify, at the time of registration, each owner or lessee of a motor vehicle presented for registration in the State of any open recall on that vehicle; provide the open motor vehicle recall information at no cost to each owner or lessee of a motor vehicle presented for registration in the State; and provide such other information as the Secretary may require. In selecting an applicant for an award under this section, the Secretary shall consider the State’s methodology for determining open recalls on a motor vehicle, for informing consumers of the open recalls, and for determining performance. Each grant awarded under this section shall require a 2-year performance period. Not later than 90 days after the completion of the performance period under subsection (e), a grantee shall provide to the Secretary a report of performance containing such information as the Secretary considers necessary to evaluate the extent to which open recalls have been remedied. Not later than 180 days after the completion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall evaluate the extent to which open recalls identified have been remedied. The term ‘consumer’ includes owner and lessee. The term ‘motor vehicle’ has the meaning given the term under section 30102(a) of title 49 , United States Code. The term ‘open recall’ means a recall for which a notification by a manufacturer has been provided under section 30119 of title 49 , United States Code, and that has not been remedied under section 30120 of that title. The term ‘registration’ means the process for registering motor vehicles in the State. The term ‘State’ has the meaning given the term under section 101(a) of title 23 , United States Code.” The Secretary shall establish a publicly available and searchable electronic database of tire recall information that is reported to the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The database established under subsection (a) shall be searchable by Tire Identification Number (TIN) and any other criteria that assists consumers in determining whether a tire is subject to a recall.”