NHTSA Whistleblower Program
The Vehicle Safety Act established the NHTSA Whistleblower Program. This allows the NHTSA to pay out monetary awards to whistleblowers who come forward with inside information about vehicle safety defects, violations of the Vehicle Safety Act, and violations of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Awards can be anywhere from 10% to 30% of the monetary sanctions collected over $1 million.
Whistleblowers in these cases may be current or former employees of motor vehicle manufacturers, vehicle parts suppliers, or car dealerships. Whistleblowers with inside information about vehicle safety violations should contact an experienced whistleblower attorney for guidance in filing a case with the NHTSA. It is important to know that whistleblowers are protected from retaliation by federal law.
The NHTSA recently announced its first whistleblower award in a case related to Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America. The whistleblower received $24 million for providing information related to violations of the Vehicle Safety Act. According to the case, Hyundai and Kia “conducted untimely recalls of over 1.6 million vehicles equipped with Theta II engines and inaccurately reported crucial information to NHTSA about the nature of serious defects in the engines.”
Whistleblowers are essential in the identification and investigation of vehicle safety issues. The federal government provides protection to whistleblowers and monetary awards for coming forward with information that helps protect the public from dangerous automobile defects.
Our Experience
Baron & Budd has attorneys experienced in whistleblower cases and in automobile defect cases. The class action practice at Baron & Budd has represented plaintiffs in some of the most high-profile automobile defect cases. Our attorneys filed the first lawsuit in the Takata Airbag Recall and represented plaintiffs in the Volkswagen Audi Emission Fraud Lawsuit.
Automobile defects are dangerous and can cause serious injuries or even death. These defects can also cost customers thousands of dollars in repairs. The class action attorneys at Baron & Budd have successfully represented clients in automobile defect cases across the country.
With more than 30 years of experience, the attorneys on Baron & Budd’s whistleblower representation team have represented dozens of clients in government fraud cases returning over $5.4 billion to federal and state agencies, with whistleblower recovery shares as high as 49%. They are ready to help if you have evidence of vehicle safety defects.
Please call (866) 845-2164 or complete our contact form if you would like more information. For more information, see What You Need to Know About Becoming a Whistleblower. Please understand that contacting us does not mean that you have established an attorney-client relationship with Baron & Budd, P.C.
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