WASHINGTON--The Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen Inc. filed a lawsuit last week that challenges the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's policy of letting carmakers limit some vehicle recalls to U.S. regions, reported ConsumerAffairs.com.

The complaint says that regional recalls violate the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which states that all owners of defective vehicles must be notified and get a free repair or replacement. It claims NHTSA illegally failed to provide notice and solicit public comment before implementing the policy, and that it has applied the policy arbitrarily.

"Regional recalls make no sense, particularly in a mobile society where people often drive from one region to the next," said Public Citizen president Joan Claybrook. "If a vehicle has a defect that makes it unsafe, the defect needs to be fixed on all similar vehicles."

According to the complaint: "Since at least the mid-1980s, NHTSA has allowed manufacturers to limit both the notification and remedy aspects of certain recalls to a few states, usually excluding a majority of the country ... On information and belief, until 1998, NHTSA allowed regional recalls on an ad hoc basis, apparently without any particular guidelines concerning what types of defects were appropriate for a recall. NHTSA appeared to allow manufacturers virtual carte blanche in deciding when to restrict recalls and to which states or countries."