NHTSA Heavily Affected by Government Shutdown

With the government shutdown in full force, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stopped many of its functions that help keep motorists safe.

The agency has stopped issuing recall notifications, halted investigating potential automotive defects and will not evaluate consumer complaints. Until government funding is restored, consumer complaints to NHTSA will not be investigated, though owners can continue filing them online.

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Automakers can continue issuing recalls on their own during the shutdown, but some often elect not to do so. In addition, new car assessments including crash safety tests will not be conducted during the shutdown.

If it persists, the closure could be troublesome for both consumers and manufacturers. According to NHTSA, 333 of its 597 employees have been furloughed. The agency said that it will not be posting updates or responding to comments on its social media pages during the shutdown.

[Source: AOL Autos]