California rolls out vehicle safety systems inspection program; BAR reports 17.6% failure rate in latest data

The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) gave a final implementation update on the Vehicle Safety Systems inspection program, saying the three‑phase rollout is complete and the agency is monitoring station and technician capacity as the program replaces the older brake-and-lamp system.

BAR Chief Patrick Dore and Matthew Gibson, manager in BAR’s executive office and the program lead, said the licensing phase began when regulations became effective March 27. Licensed vehicle safety system stations started inspections July 8, and the brake-and-lamp programs sunset Sept. 27.

Gibson said that as of Sept. 27 BAR’s database showed 450 licensed safety‑system stations in the VIN and 587 safety‑system technicians. By Oct. 12 the VIN showed 466 stations and 598 technicians; Gibson estimated roughly 400 stations were actually cleared to perform inspections and that about 20 station applications and roughly 100 technician applications remained pending.

BAR reported inspection activity grew rapidly after the Sept. 27 sunset of brake-and-lamp certificates. Data reported by Gibson: as of Sept. 27 stations had initiated 5,622 inspections, issued 4,515 certificates and recorded 929 vehicle failures; as of Oct. 12 BAR reported 11,785 inspections initiated, 9,377 certificates issued and 2,069 failed inspections, for a failure rate around 17.6 percent (these totals do not include 404 inspections that were aborted or timed out).

Gibson listed the leading causes of failure. By Oct. 12 the most common cause was lighting‑system defects, followed by open manufacturer recalls, then tires and wheel issues (including TPMS warnings), then brake‑system problems and passenger‑compartment issues. BAR staff and advisory members emphasized that many failed vehicles had multiple causes of failure.

Advisory members raised two recurring practical problems. First, open recalls were producing inspection failures and sometimes prevented vehicle registration; BAR and California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) staff are coordinating to clarify messaging to consumers because some DMV screens still refer to “brake and lamp” inspections. Second, parts availability can extend the time before a vehicle can be repaired and reinspected — an issue raised with respect to long‑backordered parts such as replacement airbags in older Takata‑recall vehicles.

Gibson said BAR can detect recall status through the same commercial data connection (CARFAX) already used for SmogCheck, and that the analyzer software shows recall information early in the inspection process so a technician can decide whether to abort or proceed. Clay Leak of BAR confirmed CARFAX is the contracted source used to return manufacturer recall data to BAR systems.

On capacity, BAR staff said the agency’s goal is a minimum of 500 safety‑system stations statewide to handle historic inspection volumes; staff and advisory members said some rural areas still need better coverage, and BAR plans to recruit additional applicants and to encourage existing smart‑check stations to convert.

BAR posted a public page with program documents, a station equipment checklist, a technician enrollment process and a tutorial video; Gibson said BAR will continue to monitor performance and station coverage and return to advisory meetings with updated data.

Why this matters: the VSS inspection program replaced the paper brake‑and‑lamp certificates with an electronic, point‑in‑time inspection tied to DMV processes. The program gives BAR visibility into pass/fail rates and failure reasons, but it has also exposed operational dependencies — recalls, recall data feeds, parts availability and geographic station coverage — that affect vehicle registration and consumer mobility.