The Auto Industry's Safety Whistleblower Program: What You Need To Know

The Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Program that originally passed through the U.S. Senate last summer but stalled in the House of Representatives has finally been signed into law by President Obama as part of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, a/k/a the FAST Act. Here's what every automotive original equipment manufacturer, parts supplier and dealership needs to know:

What is the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Program?

The MVSWP is a new "bounty" program designed to incentivize potential whistleblowers to report companies for attempting to cover up or failing to comply with reporting requirements for defects that are "likely to cause unreasonable risk of death or serious physical injury." The "bounty" is that the whistleblower can receive financial rewards for information that leads to a "successful resolution."