The Senate unanimously passed legislation to allow manufacturers to meet warranty and labeling requirements for consumer products by providing warranty information online.
Senate Bill 1359 has now been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.
Federal Trade Commission regulations on how product warranty information must be provided to consumers are considered murky. Under S.1359 – the E-Warranty Act of 2015 – manufacturers will have the option to post warranty information on their websites instead of having to print warranty information and include it with products.
Currently, the FTC doesn’t require companies to provide a written warranty; however, those that do must comply with the agency’s rules.
It is unclear how this bill might impact tire manufacturers, marketers and distributors. However, it would certainly impact vehicle parts and accessories that would be sold by tire stores.
S.1359 requires companies posting warranty information online to alert consumers about how to access their website; this could be but printing that information on packaging or in any accompanying manual. In addition, they must accommodate those without Internet service with access to warranty information via mail or by phone.
