Article · AI translation
IT Home reported on November 8 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to improve the vehicle recall process, with over-the-air (OTA) software updates set to be one focus of the reforms.
At NHTSA's Recalls Next summit, agency head Jonathan Morrison said regulators are looking for new ways to get more recalled vehicles repaired. Millions of vehicles with unresolved safety recalls are still on the road.
Morrison said, “What really matters is not how many notification letters were sent, but how many vehicles ultimately got repaired.”
Why are OTA recalls effective?
In 2025, there were nearly 900 vehicle recalls overseen by NHTSA, affecting more than 29 million vehicles.
Morrison noted that a major reason owners do not complete recall repairs is inconvenience. Even when repairs are entirely free, visiting a dealer may require owners to take time off work, arrange childcare, or find alternative transportation. About 40% of owners cite inconvenience as the main reason for not completing recall repairs.
OTA updates can address precisely this problem.
Morrison said, “Delivering recall fixes over the air usually achieves high completion rates because it spares owners the inconvenience of arranging an in-person repair.”
He also said NHTSA regulates OTA recalls in the same way as traditional in-person recalls, while “exploring how to provide more flexibility in notification methods.”
This means that, in the future, owners may receive fewer paper recall notices for problems already fixed through software updates.
Tesla has used OTA recalls for years
Tesla owners are familiar with this. Most Tesla recall issues can be resolved through software updates; owners need to visit a service center only when hardware repairs are necessary or regulators require an in-person fix.
In 2024, Tesla completely resolved a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) issue affecting about 700,000 vehicles through an OTA software update, and the fix was completed even before the formal recall notice was issued.
Around the same time, NHTSA began including recalls resolved through software updates in the records on its official website. Owners nevertheless received mailed recall notices several weeks later.
Tesla uses OTA updates to address recalls worldwide.
NHTSA will introduce other reforms
In addition to promoting OTA recalls, NHTSA will provide $1.5 million in grants (IT Home note: approximately 10.036 million yuan at the current exchange rate) to help more states include recall information in vehicle registration renewal notices.
Morrison said notices sent by state departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) can sometimes result in recall repair rates two to three times those achieved when automakers send notices on their own.
NHTSA has also launched a bulk vehicle identification number (VIN) lookup tool that allows dealers and fleet operators to check the recall status of up to 100 vehicles at once.
Individual owners can still use NHTSA's or Tesla's VIN lookup tools to check whether their Tesla has any unresolved recalls.
The summit also discussed how OTA recall procedures could apply to self-driving vehicles.
NHTSA is currently seeking public comments until December 5. The way recall notices are sent could therefore change further after that date.