Also called: NHTSA Safety Defects Engineer, Recall Investigator
Investigates whether cars, airbags, tires, or self-driving systems have safety defects that require a recall.
Defect investigators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analyze crash reports and consumer complaints, test parts, and question automakers, sometimes forcing recalls of millions of vehicles. Automated driving systems are a major new focus.
Federal pay. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical, electrical, or automotive engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering.
Growing about average. Small federal office.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI finds patterns in crash and complaint data; testing cars and proving a defect stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, Auto tech CTE class, AP Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
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