Tennessee Dealer Pays $125K Penalty Over Unrepaired Recalls

Federal authorities say a Chattanooga dealership has agreed to pay a $125,000 penalty for selling more than 300 motorcycles that were under recall notices but hadn’t been fixed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that it investigated Southern Honda Powersports in 2012 and found the business had violated federal laws which require dealers that receive recall notices from the manufacturer to make sure any recalled vehicle they sell have been repaired.

Company owner Jim Kelly said the dealership has instituted a pre-sale safety inspection program and is committed to the safety of its customers.

NHTSA said an audit found the dealership sold 329 unrepaired motorcycles between 2008 and 2012.

Kelly and the agency said there hadn’t been any deaths or injuries from the unrepaired vehicles.