Committee advances bill requiring recall notices at inspection and registration; automakers back partnership with MVC

The Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee advanced Assembly bill A4008 on Oct. 21, 2024, adopting amendments that require manufacturers doing business in the state to assist the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) in applying for funding and, if necessary, pay an annual fee to cover implementation costs. The committee amended the bill to make implementation contingent upon sufficient funding.

Craig Orland of American Honda told the committee manufacturers already notify consumers and provide free remedies but that 14–15 percent of vehicles on the road have open, unrepaired safety defects; he said that equates to roughly 500,000–600,000 vehicles in New Jersey and described MVC registration as a practical way to reach owners of older vehicles bought on the secondary market. "Because the state MVC is in regular contact with all of these vehicle owners...we think that this is a perfect partnership opportunity to leverage their existing communications to provide vehicle owners with supplemental notifications of open safety recalls," he said.

Judith Fanelis of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and representatives from AAA, the National Safety Council and retail/repair groups also expressed support, citing outcomes in other states where registration‑based notifications identified large numbers of vehicles with open recalls and substantially increased repair completions. Committee amendments require the chief administrator to set any annual fee based on documented implementation costs and to publish documentation on the commission’s website.

The committee recorded one abstention and released the bill with amendments. The bill now moves toward floor consideration, with committee members noting they may discuss the fee structure further outside the hearing.