Whom to call about defective cars

A woman in Redwood Falls, Minn., told Whistleblower that she's convinced her car's rear suspension is defective, because of handling problems and having to replace three sets of tires in three years. She found similar complaints on the government's auto defect clearinghouse, safercar.gov, although the same site lists no safety recall from suspension problems.

So what should a vehicle owner think? Eric Bolton, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) spokesman, had this response.

Whistleblower also asked how a vehicle owner can find out whether this is a widespread safety defect or not.

But what if vehicle owners don't believe their auto maker is telling the truth about their car's problems?

Bolton also gave me this link to a detailed explanation of NHTSA's investigative process, which also describes how anyone can formally petition the agency to investigate a suspected safety defect in a vehicle.