Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act

Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn act to amend title 49, United States Code, to require reports concerning defects in motor vehicles or tires or other motor vehicle equipment in foreign countries, and for other purposes.
Acronyms (colloquial)TREAD
Enacted bythe 106th United States Congress
EffectiveNovember 1, 2000
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 106–414 (text) (PDF)
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House by Fred Upton (R-MI) on September 13, 2000
  • Committee consideration by House Energy and Commerce
  • Passed the House on October 10, 2000 
  • Passed the Senate on October 11, 2000 
  • Signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 1, 2000

The Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation or TREAD Act (Pub. L. 106–414 (text) (PDF)) is a United States federal law enacted in the fall of 2000. This law intended to increase consumer safety through mandates assigned to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It was drafted in response to fatalities related to Ford Explorers fitted with Firestone tires and was influenced by automobile, tire manufacturers, and consumer safety advocates. After congressional hearings were held in September 2000, Congress, in only an 18-hour span, passed the TREAD Act in October 2000. The Act was signed into law by President Clinton on November 1, 2000, and has been amended into the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, codified at 49 U.S.C. §§ 30101–30170.