Feds Offer Free Vehicle Recall Alerts

Consumers can sign up at NHTSA's Web site.

The system provides recall notification via e-mail and RSS feeds on personal computers, cell phones or PDAs.

Consumers can get a summary of vehicle recalls in the past seven days or they can select up to five make and model year combinations to track, including motorcycles.

The system also provides alerts on tire recalls and child restraint recalls. NHTSA notes that it gets an average of 20 tire recalls per year and an average of eight child-restraint recalls per year. It also gets an average of 600 vehicle recalls a year.

Inside Line says: It's about time. This is a simple and easy way for you to keep track of recalls on your vehicles. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent