"Keep Defect Data Public"
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is again bending to the will of the auto industry as the agency is proposing to restrict access to information about consumer complaints, warranty claims and service reports.
NHTSA was ordered by Congress to make information about problems with vehicles public after it withheld information about the blowout problems of using Firestone tires on Ford vehicles. NHTSA is afraid that releasing the information could cause competitive harm in the marketplace, but Public Citizen is challenging the rule in court.
From Wired’s Autopia blog. Gosh, why would Congress do that? Doesn’t it simply serve to embarrass the companies involved?
Maybe it’s because transparency is good for the soul.