The desire to increase the maximum possible fine stems from the case in 2010 when Toyota was fined the maximum possible amount of $16.375 million for each of two charges for failing to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of safety risks in their vehicles within the allotted time. David Strickland, head of NHTSA, as well as the Obama administration have voiced that the $32.425 million in fines was insufficient, and according to Reuters, both parties seek increases for future violations.
House officials argued that the Senate bill wasn't taking the right approach through additional mandates, but rather favored incentives for doing the right thing as opposed to added penalties for inaction.
Strickland admits that automakers operating in the U.S. have become more aggressive in looking into potential safety risks since the debacle that temporarily crushed U.S. sales of Toyota vehicles, but also argued that over time that may not continue to be the case.
Currently, U.S. automakers have five days to notify NHTSA when it is aware of a safety defect before facing potential fines.
