Do you know if any part of your car has been recalled? Do you know how to find out? Many drivers may not know how to find out if the manufacturer of their vehicle has issued a recall. Perhaps you moved since you bought your vehicle, and the manufacturer does not have a current address to send a recall notice (which, by law, must be sent) to you, meaning you may not receive important information about your vehicle. Information is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about some of the latest recalls to hit the market. To check if anything on your auto has been recalled by the manufacturer, use the AutoSMART Recall/TSB search tool.

From time to time, NHTSA will release a list of auto safety recalls, urging consumers to have the problems fixed promptly. This list identifies the make and model of the vehicle or equipment involved, with a brief description of the safety problem.

NHTSA says it is publicizing the recalls to alert consumers about safety problems and encourage them to take action. Under federal law, safety problems must be remedied without cost to consumers. Currently, 72 percent of the owners of vehicles with safety problems have the recall work performed.

If a vehicle recall is announced, NHTSA requires manufacturers to mail a recall notice to all purchasers, owners, and dealers when a safety defect or noncompliance with Federal safety standards is found. The agency urges owners to wait until they receive notification from the manufacturer before contacting their dealers to schedule the repair work. Not all vehicles of a particular make and model may be subject to the recall.

Consumers can get up-to-the-minute information on safety recall campaigns, or information on the recall history of a particular make and model of car, truck, motorcycle, or child safety seat, by calling the agency's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or by accessing NHTSA on the Internet at www.nhtsa.gov. The Hotline also can be used to report safety problems.