Motor vehicle: Motor vehicle tires; Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seats (ICS: 43.020, 43.080).

Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Notice of Defect and Notice of Non-compliance), (40 pages, available in English and French)

The proposed amendment would revise current prescriptions and add new requirements for giving a notice of defect or notice of non-compliance, to each of the following three regulations under the authority of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act; the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations and the Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations.

The proposed amendments would require that vehicle and equipment companies required to give a notice of defect or notice of non-compliance:

a) provide greater clarity and relevant detail in their notices;

b) revise their notification process to address a non-compliance separately from a defect; and,

c) augment reporting requirements associated with these notifications. New requirements for giving a notice of non-compliance would mirror those for giving a notice of defect, with slight differences to address the characteristics of non-compliance, including those deemed to be inconsequential to safety.

Proposed reporting requirements would strengthen the existing reporting and oversight provisions, including standardizing requirements across the three regulations, requiring companies submit, to the Minister, copies of any subsequent communications to owners and retailers for a period of five years, and aligning submission dates for quarterly reports with the United Sates' schedule. The proposal would require that companies provide, in the vehicle owner's manual, instructions on how to contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern related to the vehicle.