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Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-110

§30170 Criminal Penalties

Title 49 › SUBTITLE VI — MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS › PART A — GENERAL › CHAPTER 301 — MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY › SUBCHAPTER IV — ENFORCEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE › § 30170

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

Making a false report to the Secretary about vehicle or equipment defects that caused death or serious injury, if done on purpose to mislead, is a crime. A person who does this can be fined under Title 18, jailed for up to 15 years, or both. If the person did not know their false report could cause a deadly or serious-injury accident and they fix the wrong or missing report within a reasonable time, they will not face those criminal penalties. The Secretary of Transportation must make rules saying what counts as a reasonable time and what fixes are enough, and must issue a final rule within 90 days of enactment. The criminal rule does not take effect until that final rule is in force. The Department of Justice can only prosecute or start a grand jury if the Secretary asks.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §30170

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Criminal Liability for Falsifying or Withholding Information.—
(1)General rule.—
A person who violates section 1001 of title 18 with respect to the reporting requirements of section 30166, with the specific intention of misleading the Secretary with respect to motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment safety related defects that have caused death or serious bodily injury to an individual (as defined in section 1365(g)(3) of title 18), shall be subject to criminal penalties of a fine under title 18, or imprisoned for not more than 15 years, or both.
(2)Safe harbor to encourage reporting and for whistle blowers.—
(A)Correction.—
A person described in paragraph (1) shall not be subject to criminal penalties under this subsection if: (1) at the time of the violation, such person does not know that the violation would result in an accident causing death or serious bodily injury; and (2) the person corrects any improper reports or failure to report within a reasonable time.
(B)Reasonable time and sufficiency of correction.—
The Secretary shall establish by regulation what constitutes a reasonable time for the purposes of subparagraph (A) and what manner of correction is sufficient for purposes of subparagraph (A). The Secretary shall issue a final rule under this subparagraph within 90 days of the date of the enactment of this section.
(C)Effective date.—
Subsection (a) shall not take effect before the final rule under subparagraph (B) takes effect.
(b)Coordination with Department of Justice.—
The Attorney General may bring an action, or initiate grand jury proceedings, for a violation of subsection (a) only at the request of the Secretary of Transportation.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1365(g)(3) of title 18, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), was redesignated section 1365(h)(3) of title 18 by Pub. L. 107–307, § 2(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2445. The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(B), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 106–414, which was approved Nov. 1, 2000.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 30170

Title 49, Transportation

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110