Automotive News Canada - July 2017 - v2 - 6

* JULY 2017

Transport Canada ready to wield
recall clout, independent of U.S.
Agency responds to
criticism of cozying up
to manufacturers and
merely following the
United States when
it comes to setting
safety standards
By ROBERT BOSTELAAR
O T TAWA C O R R E S P O N D E N T

OTTAWA - JUST MONTHS
after being criticized by the federal auditor general for having
little bark and even less bite,
Transport Canada, the country's
auto safety watchdog, is showing
some teeth.
The agency and its astronaut-turned-politician boss,
Marc Garneau, has pushed for a
pair of unusual recalls in which
Canadian regulators are leading and not following their U.S.
counterparts.
And as new, tougher safety legislation makes its way
through Parliament, automakers can expect more government
scrutiny that could lead to further made-in-Canada recalls.
The recalls in question
involve Ford products: one to
repair faulty brake parts that can
increase stopping distances in
43,600 F-150 pickups; the other to
replace suspension components
in 21,000 Explorer SUVs, including Police Interceptors, susceptible to damage from accumulated
Prairie mud.
In what amounted to a public shaming, Garneau called out
Ford last November on the F-150
braking issue, warning that he
would order the automaker to
inform owners of the problem if
the government received more
complaints.
Ford had resisted issuing a
recall, pointing to a finding by
the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA)
in the United States that "the
vehicle remained controllable" if an electric vacuum pump
stopped working.

PUBLIC FEEDBACK INVITED
"I am disappointed that Ford
disagrees with our assessment,
and that is why I'm inviting
Canadians who have experienced these issues to provide
feedback that will help
me make my final decision," Garneau said.

The minister had few options.
as vehicle parts and equipment
Under current rules his departsuppliers, insurance companies,
ment can order a manufacturer
medical associations and police."
to issue a notice of defect, but not
And even the communicato actually repair its vehicles.
tion with automakers has been
For any non-voluntary
largely a one-way street,
recall, the government
according to the report.
must seek a court order,
Manufacturers supply
a potentially lengthy prolittle data to government
cess with no guarantee of
on their own investisuccess.
gations into safety conBut Garneau's public
cerns. Thus, at least 318
proclamation paid off. On
recalls issued by autoMay 9, Ford announced
makers between 2010
it will replace vacuum
and 2015 - or about oneTransport
pumps and harnesses on Minister Marc third of all recalls issued
Canadian 2012 and 2013
in that stretch - were
Garneau
F-150s with 3.5-litre V-6
for issues never brought
engines.
to Transport Canada's attention,
In a press release, Ford said,
the auditor general found.
"typical driver brake pedal
Efforts to glean more data
pressure" will stop the vehicle,
have fallen flat. Only about onebut conceded that a pump failthird of manufacturers have
ure "could result in unexpected
replied to a request for informaextended stopping distance on
tion on their internal processthe first brake application after a es for identifying and reportcold start."
ing safety defects, Parliament's
Days earlier, Ford had
Public Accounts Committee
announced the Explorerheard in April.
Interceptor recall, which
'SMOKE AND MIRRORS'
is restricted to Alberta,
Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Kim Benjamin, Transport
Again, Transport Canada had
Canada's director of road safegone public about the problem,
ty, said she was confident more
issuing an advisory in October
would respond, but committee
2016 about potential suspension
member Paul Lefebvre (Lib.failures and crashes.
Sudbury) was skeptical. "If they
don't give you anything concrete,
STERN REBUKE
it's just smoke and mirrors," he
While Transport Canada
said.
might have intended to embarIgnoring such requests could
rass Ford into repairing its
prove costly under proposed
trucks and SUVs, the agency
Motor Vehicle Safety Act revireceived a shaming of its own
sions that would give the governlast November in a report from
ment sweeping, U.S.-style powthe federal auditor general.
ers to order recalls and set strict
The report said the departtimetables for repairs. Transport
ment was slow to update vehiCanada investigators would gain
cle regulations and "generally
wider enforcement powers and
waited for the United States to
uncooperative companies could
change its motor vehicle safeface administrative penalties up
ty standards before modifying
to $200,000.
Canadian standards." Updates it
The bill is making slow
did make could take a decade or
progress, however. The federmore to become law, it said.
al Liberals chose the less usual
The auditor gen- route of introducing it in the
eral also singled
Senate, where months of study
out Transport
produced a controversial amendCanada's cozy
ment that would force automakrelationship with
ers to compensate dealers for
manufacturers,
recalled vehicles they could not
noting that it regsell. Manufacturers would also
ularly discussed
have the option to buy back a
prospective
vehicle.
changes with carNow the revisions are before
makers while failthe House of Commons in
ing to "systematiOttawa, where the added procally consult with
tection for dealers - if not the
other important
overall intent to give Canada's
stakeholders, such
auto safety rules more teeth - is
expected to spur further debate
my members of parliament.
- ANC

TRENDING
STORIES
automotivenews.ca

HOW FORD PULLED UP ITS QUALITY SCORE

Earlier this decade, Ford Motor Co. suffered a series of bungled product launches, small-car transmission issues and infotainment nightmares that put its J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
scores near the bottom of the pack. This year, the Ford brand
achieved its highest mark since the study began 30 years ago,
placing fourth overall and second among non-luxury makes.
Joe Hinrichs, the former CEO of Ford Canada who is now
the automaker's president of global operations, credits the turnaround to a series of moves the company made in the first quarter of 2013, a few months after he took over as president of the
Americas.

CANADA GETS THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R

The 2017 Honda Civic Type
R is confirmed, making it the first
Type R-badged Honda to ever be
sold in Canada. The performance
variant of the country's best-selling car goes on sale July 14 in
one trim level with an MSRP of
(PHOTO: HONDA CANADA)
$42,485, destination fee included.
At 306 horsepower, the track-ready vehicle will be the most
powerful production Honda that has ever been sold in Canada.

GM CANADA EXTENDS TWO SUMMER PLANT
CLOSURES AS IT EVALUATES THE MARKET

GM Canada will add some
additional downtime to a pair of
Ontario plants as it grapples with
balancing supply and demand
through the summer months.
"In keeping with GM's strategy to evaluate market demand
and adjust production schedules ( P H O T O : G M C A N A D A )
accordingly, Oshawa Assembly
flex line employees and St. Catharines HFV6 line were advised
of some additional down weeks," company spokeswoman
Jennifer Wright wrote in an email to Automotive News Canada.
Wright did not indicate how many days or weeks were added
to the traditional two-week summer shutdown at the two facilities.

GM'S MARY BARRA MEETS WITH
PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU TO TALK JOBS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
met with General Motors CEO
Mary Barra in Markham, Ont., on
June 22 to discuss job creation,
but neither the government nor
the automaker released many
details about the discussions.
GM Canada CEO Stephen
(PHOTO: GOVERNMENT
Carlisle was in attendance as
OF CANADA)
was Navdeep Bains, Canada's
minister of innovation, science and economic development.
"The Prime Minister met with Chairman and CEO of General
Motors Mary Barra to talk about creating more jobs in Canada
and empowering women in business," the prime minister's Press
Secretary Eleanore Catenaro wrote. "As the prime minister said
at the beginning of their meeting, General Motors is making great
investments in Canada and there are exciting opportunities for
traditional manufacturing as well as new innovative technologies
in Markham."

TOYOTA MIXES NEW FLAVOURS FOR CAMRY
AS CANADIAN SALES SLUMP

When Toyota engineers and
designers began work on the
next-generation Camry, they were
asked to create two distinct versions that would help broaden the
( P H O T O : T O Y O TA )
vehicle's reach.
"There's nothing pushing
people into sedans," said Jack Hollis, general manager for the
Toyota division, at a June media presentation of preproduction
models. "It's a perfect time to start fresh, from scratch, lead the
industry, lead the sedan segment."

FOR FULL TE
XT

Proposed legislation would give the federal government sweeping
new powers to order recalls and set timetables. Now, it can only order
a manufacturer to issue a notice of defect, but not order repairs.
(PHOTO: RCMP)

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