DETROIT (AP) – The U.S. government’s highway safety agency says it will hold a public hearing in July to determine if Fiat Chrysler met requirements to notify customers and fix safety problems in 20 safety recalls covering more than 10 million vehicles.
Among the recalls is a contentious one over 1.56 million Jeeps with gas tanks located behind the rear axles. The biggest involves almost 3 million cars with air bag inflators that can potentially rupture and injure a car’s occupants.
The hearing will be held July 2 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Witnesses and the automaker will be able to present evidence.
If the agency finds that Fiat Chrysler, formally known as FCA US LLC, failed to fix safety defects, it could take action including ordering the company to buy back or replace vehicles, it said in a statement issued Monday.
NHTSA said it has expressed concerns to Chrysler about its handling of the recalls. It said some consumers complained that they weren’t notified of the recall, while others said dealers lacked the repair parts and didn’t have service appointments available.