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NHTSA: People Saving People

NHTSA, established in 1970, directs highway safety and consumer programs and is dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety. And for more than 30 years the agency has set the standard for safety, helping consumers find safer cars with its 5-Star Safety Ratings.

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Latest News and Information on Buying, Owning and Maintaining a Safer Car  

  • NHTSA Announces Model Year 2012 Vehicles to be Rated Under Government 5-Star Safety Ratings Program --- NHTSA today announced the lineup of model year 2012 passenger vehicles that will be tested as part of the agency's 5-star safety ratings program. The program's crash tests will provide consumer safety information on approximately 81 percent of model year 2012 passenger vehicles sold in the United States, while rollover tests will provide information on 92 percent of the 2012 fleet.
  • NHTSA Releases Updated Child Seat Recommendations --- Child restraint guidelines revised to categorize by age rather than by type of child seat in order to keep pace with the latest scientific and medical research and the development of new child restraint technologies. Under the new guidelines, NHTSA is advising parents and caregivers to keep children in each restraint type, including rear-facing, forward-facing and booster seats, for as long as possible before moving them up to the next type of seat.
  • Dorel Recalling Nearly 800,000 Child Safety Seats For Safety Harness Issue --- NHTSA announced that Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG) is recalling 794,247 child safety seats because the harness locking and release button does not always return to its locked position. A button that is not in the locked position can allow the harness adjustment strap to slip back through the adjuster as a child moves around in the seat and results in a loose harness, increasing the risk of being injured a crash.
  • Rear-Visibility Rule Proposed to Protect Kids and Elderly --- New regulation aimed at eliminating blind zones behind vehicles that can hide the presence of pedestrians, especially young children and the elderly. The proposal would expand the required field of view for all passenger cars, pickup trucks, minivans, buses and low-speed so drivers can see directly behind the vehicle.
  • Britax Announces Recall of Chaperon Infant Car Seats --- The recall of 17,251 Chaperon Infant Car Seats sold in the U.S. is because the occupant harness chest clip may break as an infant is being secured into the car seat. Britax is also recalling 2,350 of the same seats sold in Canada. Consumers should continue to use the car seats without the chest clip until the replacement chest clip is installed.
  • Evenflo Company Recalls 13,792 Evenflo Maestro Child Safety Seats --- NHTSA is alerting consumers of a recall involving 13,792, Evenflo Maestro seats. In a crash, a crack could form at the front of the seat, adjacent to the harness adjuster, causing the child to be improperly restrained. Evenflo is recalling seats with model numbers beginning with 310. Those include 3101198; 3101980; 31011048; 31011049; 31011059 produced between Nov. 24, 2009, and April 9, 2010. The model number and the manufacture date are on a label on the side of the car seat/carrier.
  • NHTSA Repeats Caution to Owners of Various Recalled Ford Vehicles on Fire Risk --- NHTSA is reminding owners of various Ford vehicles previously recalled for faulty cruise control systems to make sure they take vehicles to Ford dealers for repairs. If not repaired, the vehicles can catch fire, even if they are turned off, parked and unattended. Owners should watch for potential warning signs of an imminent fire, including a cruise control system that can’t be activated or stops working; brake lights that stop working; low brake fluid; ABS and brake warning lights illuminated on the dashboard; or the inability to get a vehicle out of park.
  • NHTSA Reissues 15-Passenger Van Safety Caution --- As the fall and winter driving seasons get under way, NHTSA is urging users of 15-passenger vans to take specific steps to keep occupants safe. Two recent fatal crashes, in New York and Georgia, involving 15-passenger vans that rolled over and resulted in 10 deaths give urgency to this reminder.
  • Parents Urged to Install Proper Safety Seats In Light of New Data on Children in Crashes --- New NHTSA research shows that while fewer children died in roadway crashes in 2009, many children still are not using an appropriate child restraint or booster seat. the 2009 child fatality data found that, last year, crashes were the leading cause of death for young people ages 3 to 14. In 2009, an average of four children age 14 and younger were killed and 490 were injured every day.
  • 2011 Model Year Vehicles to be Rated Under the New 5-Star Safety Ratings Program --- 24 passenger cars, 20 sport utility vehicles, two vans, and nine 2011 model year pickups will be rated under the new system that not only includes tougher crash tests but, for the first time, provides consumers with a single overall safety score per vehicle. The new testing program will also provide consumers with information about new advanced crash avoidance technologies, such as lane departure and forward collision warning systems.