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One year after statewide launch, BAR reports VSSI rollout and early metrics including ~16% failure rate
Summary
Bureau of Automotive Repair staff reported on the Vehicle Safety System Inspection program (VSSI), describing a phased rollout that consolidated brake and lamp programs. BAR said the program now has hundreds of licensed stations, has begun inspections statewide and is collecting data on failures, most commonly open recalls, lighting and braking
Clay Leake, deputy chief for smoke-check engineering and information services, updated the advisory group on the first-year status of the Vehicle Safety System Inspection program (VSSI), which consolidated the prior brake and lamp programs into a single statewide inspection and included automation features borrowed from the SmogCheck platform.
Leake summarized a three-phase implementation: licensing VSSI stations and technicians (beginning March 27, 2024), commencing inspections (July 8, 2024), and sunset of the legacy brake and lamp programs on Sept. 27, 2024. He said the bureau offered a streamlined “grandparenting” (fee-waiver) entry path for stations that were in good standing on March 27 so that they could become VSSI stations without paying the initial application fee and would have a full year to complete required ASC certifications at renewal.
On metrics, Leake reported the bureau is now collecting inspection data and shared early numbers: “As of 09/28/2025, 517 VSSI stations… just over 23,000 inspections initiated, 195,000 certificates issued, almost 38,000 failed inspections, which comes right about to a 16% failure rate,” he said. The most common failure reasons recorded were open safety recalls, lighting and brake-system issues, passenger-compartment SRS lights and cracked windshields; tires (worn tread) and TPMS warnings were also cited frequently.
Leake said BAR reused existing SmogCheck software infrastructure to distribute inspection software and manage certificates centrally, which smoothed deployment. He noted remaining challenges — cross-references in regulation text that required cleanup, a need for communications to remote areas to ensure program coverage, and a small number of exception requests tied to parts availability and unusual regional recalls — and said a process exists to grant limited exceptions when warranted.
Ending: Leake invited stakeholders to review VSSI materials on the BAR website — including the inspection manual, equipment checklist, and enrollment steps — and said the bureau will continue outreach and monitoring of the program; advisory members asked the bureau to report reinspection rates for vehicles that initially failed.
