U.S. Orders Online Recall Look-Up System

By next summer carmaker Web sites must include a feature that allows visitors to check the recall status of a U.S. car or truck by entering its vehicle identification number.

Several carmakers already offer such online tools. But all who sell at least 25,000 vehicles per year in the U.S. will be required to do so by August 2014 under a new rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The directive, which also covers motorcycle makers with annual sales in the U.S. of at least 5,000 units, will require producers to update their recall databases weekly. Manufacturers must supply the same data for use by NHTSA's free public access SaferCar.gov Web site.

That site currently allows consumers to check for recalls by model and year. But it doesn't enable them to determine if a specific vehicle is subject to a recall or whether repairs dictated by the recall were actually completed.

NHTSA also issued regulations about how manufacturers handle mailed recall notices, including a 60-day deadline for notification. The rules also dictate envelop labels and recall letter headings intended to draw attention to such notices and help coax recipients to take action.