The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. This is accomplished by setting and enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, and through grants to state and local governments to enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs.

NHTSA investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, helps states and local communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigates odometer fraud, establishes and enforces vehicle anti-theft regulations and provides consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics.

The best place to find the information you're looking for on the NHTSA web site can be found at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/. From this link you can access:

• Consumer Complaints:
  The Consumer Complaints Search Engine enables you to search for consumer complaints related to motor vehicles, child safety devices, and other equipment such as tires. The database contains information about all complaints after 1995.
  
  
• Defect Investigations:
  The Investigations Search Engine enables you to search for information about current and past NHTSA investigations. The database contains information about all investigations opened since 1972.
  
  
• Recalls:
  The Recalls Search Engine enables you to search the database for recall campaigns concerning motor vehicles, child safety devices, tires, and related equipment.
  
  
• Technical Service Bulletins:
  The Technical Services Bulletin search engine enables you to search the database for technical service bulletins issued by manufacturers. The data does not include all technical services bulletins generated by manufacturers. For example, technical service bulletins related to safety recalls are generally not included. Bulletins that are not associated with a product defect may not be included either. The database contains information about all service bulletins after 1995.

Additional items can also be researched at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ by clicking on the appropriate link on the NHTSA website.