The rule appears to only apply to independent service and repair shops, but not dealerships.
Five automotive service industry groups sent a letter to Connecticut DMV Commissioner Tony Guerrera, asking for clarity on his intended implementation of a new rule that would require independent repair shops to provide customers with written notice of open recalls on their vehicles before doing any work.
The groups said the new rule, which went into effect Oct. 1, “could impose burdensome and potentially anti-competitive requirements upon automotive aftermarket service and repair facility operators in the state of Connecticut,” considering it does not apply to dealership service centers.
The new section, added to Public Act. No. 23-40, requires repair shops that change a vehicle’s oil or tires and tubes to determine if it is subject to an open recall, and if so, provide the owner of the vehicle with written notice of each open recall at the time of the repair. The implementation does not appear to impose the same obligation on dealerships. Also, it imposes unnecessary burdens on shops, the environment and vehicle owners.
“We are concerned that this regulation poses a burden on aftermarket service and repair facility operators in Connecticut without helping consumers in a meaningful way,” said Lisa Foshee, senior vice president, government affairs and general counsel, Auto Care Association. “Auto manufacturers are responsible for the recalls and should be primarily responsible for providing notice to consumers about those recalls.”
In addition to the Auto Care Association, the letter was signed by the Preventative Automotive Maintenance Association, the Tire Industry Association, the Service Station Dealers of America and Allied Trades and the Automotive Service Association.
