It seems to be the case that a federal office tasked with broad oversight of vehicle safety issues relating to both passenger and commercial vehicles and equipment could use a bit more oversight itself. Put another way: In response to the question of what it is precisely that the so-called Office of Defects Investigation does, the answer might reasonably seem to be that the ODI does very little, and that much of what it does focus upon is not done particularly well. […]

Automakers sometimes receive the proverbial slap on the wrist from national safety regulators, with government agencies alleging acts of negligence or wrongdoing that result in admonitory warnings, threats of safety recalls and fines and additional responses that don’t exactly inspire fear or quick industry compliance. Fiat Chrysler could do with a bit of that right now, as the recently combined motor vehicle manufacturer is contemplating a just-inked settlement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that actually bites as well as barks. […]