Photo of Rebecca Baden Chaney

Rebecca Baden Chaney is a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office and is co-chair of the firm’s Transportation Practice. Transportation, micromobility, consumer, and other product manufacturers lean on Rebecca Chaney’s keen understanding of the transportation and consumer product industries and the legal landscape to advance their businesses. Rebecca applies her commercial-focused product risk lens to represent product manufacturers facing litigation, commercial, and regulatory challenges.

Rebecca is an industry-recognized force in litigating complex product-related warranty, defect, indemnity and contractual commercial disputes, and consumer litigation, including in class actions and mass tort proceedings. She counsels her commercial clients on product disputes, risk mitigation, and crisis management matters. Rebecca additionally defends clients against defamation claims. Clients appreciate Rebecca’s close coordination with them, her proactive approach, and her critical and creative thinking about each stage in a litigation or matter.

Rebecca’s approach embraces product liability risk management across the life cycle of product commercialization, from pre- to post-launch to aftermarket. This includes advice on product labeling, as well as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Consumer Product Safety Commission regulatory compliance, recall, and enforcement issues.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the below notices of final rulemaking in the Federal Register this month. See below for brief summaries of the new rules and compliance dates for manufacturers.

  • Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Occupant Crash Protection; Seat Belt Reminder Systems; Controls and Displays (Jan. 3): NHTSA amended FMVSS No. 208 (Occupant Crash Protection) to extend existing seatbelt warning systems to: (1) require a seat belt warning system for rear seats, (2) update and enhance seat belt warning requirements for driver seat belt warnings, and (3) extend the requirements for driver’s warnings to the front outboard passenger seat. Manufacturers must comply with the front set belt warning system requirements by September 1, 2026, and the rear seat belt warning system requirements by September 1, 2027, with an additional year for multi-stage manufacturers and alterers.
Continue Reading NHTSA Rulemaking Roundup: January 2025

President Trump’s “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” Presidential memorandum, which asks agencies to consider postponing the effective date of any rules that have been published in the Federal Register but have not yet taken effect, could impact the new NHTSA final rule related to automatic emergency braking (AEB) technology.

The AEB final rule, published in May 2024, will require all new light vehicles to be equipped with automatic braking systems that meet certain performance requirements by Sept. 1, 2029. The “freeze” does not change this final rule or compliance date.

Continue Reading Trump Administration’s Regulatory Freeze Memorandum Could Impact New AEB Rule

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published an updated proposed rule to amend its regulations to require recall notifications be sent to vehicle and equipment owners and purchasers by electronic means, in addition to first class mail. For more information about this rulemaking, see NHTSA Publishes Updated Proposed Rule on Manufacturer Recall Notifications