Four little bolts near the steering head have caused Triumph a world of financial pain.
The National Highway Transport Safety Administration has imposed a $2.9 million civil penalty to Triumph Motorcycles Ltd and Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd for violations of Safety Act reporting requirements and failure to fully respond to communications from NHTSA.
“Manufacturers must comply with their reporting obligations. The law requires it, and public safety demands it,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “When companies fail to meet those obligations, we will hold them accountable.”
The penalty comes after Triumph’s September 2014 recall of more than 1300 Street Triple R machines where four bolts that hold cable guides to either side of the headstock could work loose, which could reduce the available steering lock and cause a crash.
Triumph UK had issued the recall on June 10, 2013, however the U.S. recall was not instigated until September, some 15 months later.
This April, the NHTSA began an investigation into whether Triumph had violated the requirement to report the defect in a timely manner, and into other potential violations, including failure to submit quarterly reports on recall completion rates; failure to supply copies of technical service bulletins; and failure to file early warning data reports on death and injury claims, warranty data and other information.
Under a consent order issued to Triumph, the company must pay a $1.4 million cash penalty and must spend at least $500,000 meeting a series of requirements to improve its safety practices. An additional $1 million in penalties could become due if the company violates the consent order or if additional Safety Act violations emerge.
