1.   And it authorizes the secretary of transportation to seek criminal penalties, including jail terms, for auto executives who deliberately misinform regulators about safety defects.

2.   But that may actually be a positive development, since each recall indicates an attempt to fix some sort of safety defect.

3.   General Motors has said that half the electric cars it has built have a safety defect and that it does not know if it can fix them.

4.   GM Recalls Defective Cars General Motors has recalled half of the electric cars it has built for a safety defect it does not know how to fix.

5.   Had the government formally identified a safety defect in the trucks, GM lawyers said Sunday, that fact could have been used against GM in the lawsuits.

6.   Hurd said the agency would only act if it identified safety defects in the vehicles that would require a recall.

7.   If NHTSA determines there was a safety defect, it will then examine whether Saab should have notified the agency and owners about the problem, Boehly said.

8.   Last year, a jury fell one vote short of finding that Ford had concealed the safety defect, prompting the judge to issue his decision.

9.   Regulators also no longer collect data directly from repair shops on safety defects, a program that used to provide early warning of safety issues.

10.   Safety defects are the most common cause of fatal accidents involving commercial trucks, highway safety experts say.