Recall query

When a carmaker finds a safety problem, it files a recall and fixes the cars. Sometimes the problems keep showing up after the fix. Then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can open a recall query.

In a recall query, the agency asks the company for data and checks whether the fix covered every car and every situation. For example, it may look at incidents reported after the fix date and ask why they still happened.

A recall query can end with no action, or it can push the company into a new recall.