Recall shake-up

Agency ‘toothless’ to act DFT looking to boost power

DVSA demands right to force makers to call back faulty cars

THE UK’S transport authorities are seeking new powers over safety recalls, as they currently have no way of forcing manufacturers to issue one.

According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the body that oversees vehicle safety in the UK, the organisation currently lacks the necessary powers to order makers into issuing a safety recall.

A DVSA spokeswoman told Auto Express that the organisation can request a recall be implemented, but has no way of ordering manufacturers to carry one out. “We currently have to persuade manufacturers to issue a recall, and this happens all the time,” she said. This was apparent in the most recent BMW recall (see right), where the DVSA had to ask the maker to issue a full recall back in December 2016.

The DVSA said it is currently handling 417 recalls involving over 2.9 million vehicles in the UK, with around 80 per cent started by car makers. DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn previously told the Transport Select Committee that the agency ‘lacks teeth’ when it comes to enforcing recalls: “We always welcome a voluntary approach with manufacturers,” he said, “but we are lacking teeth and we may want to look at compulsion in the future when we do not get a response or when we are not satisfied.”

The Department for Transport, which oversees the DVSA, is now looking at bolstering its grip over recalls. The DFT said: “Our priority is to protect the public from unsafe vehicles. We are working with the DVSA to look at ways to strengthen its enforcement powers so that it can quickly react to emerging issues and protect drivers from unsafe vehicles.”

Last year, the DVSA was criticised by the Transport Select Committee. MPS said the DVSA “does not have all the tools it needs to take proportionate and effective enforcement action to ensure vehicle safety”. It recommended giving the DVSA “the enforcement powers it needs to compel manufacturers to act should it need to do so”.

The Committee also proposed new rules that would see drivers with outstanding recalls on their vehicles face an automatic MOT fail. A previous Auto Express investigation found millions of cars still have outstanding recall work needed, with some campaigns having a success rate of just 1.5 per cent.

“We welcome a voluntary approach to recalls, but we want to look at compulsion in the future when we do not get a satisfactory response”

Gareth Llewellyn DVSA chief executive