Canada’s regulatory agency, Transport Canada, has released a statement that reads:
“Per Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Regulation, as of Sept. 1, 2020, RV owner’s manuals shall contain instructions on how the owner can contact the Department of Transport in order to report a safety concern relating to a vehicle. Transport Canada’s Defect Investigation group then documents public complaints related to potential safety-related defects. Public complaints come from a variety of sources including consumers, police, fleets, doctors, etc., and are typically submitted via Transport Canada’s online complaint form or through the 1-800-Defects hot line.”
According to Transport Canada, a safety-related defect is a problem that affects the safe operation or functioning of a vehicle, tire or child car seat. For a defect to be considered safety-related, it must have originated at the design, manufacturing or assembly stage, and it must interfere with the safe functioning of the vehicle, tire or child car seat. The defect must also be present in a group of similar vehicles, tires or child car seats, and it must directly endanger the safety of a person, which includes drivers, passengers, occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users. Finally, the problem caused by the defect must occur with little or no warning and not be due to everyday wear and tear, a lack of proper maintenance or negligence on the part of the owner.
“As part of this program, where permitted, Transport Canada shares complaint details with the regulated entity in question,” the agency said. “They do this using an online manufacturer portal, which RV Industry Association members have access to. In the portal, companies can download the details of Canadian consumer complaints to monitor and evaluate the field performance of their vehicles.”
