Despite extensive pre-production testing and dramatically improved quality of new cars and trucks these days, recalls are still very much a fact of life for motorists. Perhaps it's because vehicles have also become so much more complex, with more things to go wrong. In any case, each time a recall is announced most owners probably raise an eyebrow and wonder what kind of a lemon they've gotten themselves into. After all, the stuff of some recalls - engine fires, broken steering system components, wheels that fall off, air bags that explode for no reason - can be pretty scary.

The truth is, car owners have little reason to worry. Like airplane crashes or killer-bee attacks, recalls can create quite a sensation, especially when they involve best-selling vehicles. But the chances of anything unusual happening to your particular car or truck if it's recalled are pretty remote. A recall isn't a sure sign that your car will become a long-term problem. Most vehicles will undergo two or three recalls during their life cycle. Indeed, recalls happen in the best automotive neighborhoods with manufacturers from Acura to Volvo announcing manufacturer recalls and being subject to government-mandated recalls. Even the perceived icon of quality, Toyota, has sustained two large recalls on 16 models in the last couple of years (affecting some 200 million vehicles globally, including the very popular Prius hybrid). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration features a comprehensive database of its enforced recalls at nhtsa.dot.gov. It receives notice of an average of 600 vehicle recalls per year.

Since 1966, when the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was enacted, manufacturers have called back millions of vehicles to their dealerships to correct safety defects, all free of charge to owners. But automakers have also recalled many millions more to fix items that have nothing to do with a vehicle's safe operation - from problems with emissions control systems to paint blemishes. According to a Ford Motor Company tally, for instance, only about half of that company’s recalls have been for safety defects. Recalls may be commonplace, but the recall process seems to remain something of a mystery to most motorists.

NHTSA can issue a mandatory recall only after going through a lengthy and tedious procedure. First, the agency screens consumer complaints gathered from letters, verbal reports to its telephone hotline (888-327-4236) or from emails, among other sources. The agency will consider only alleged defects that pose a risk to safety. If the agency decides there's enough evidence of a safety defect, it then conducts a thorough investigation including an engineering analysis. If NHTSA ends up sending a "Recall Request Letter" to the automaker and the automaker declines to conduct a recall, there will be a public hearing and perhaps a challenge in court, if the automaker wishes. But in reality, matters rarely escalate to that level.

Most recalls are made voluntarily by automakers without any involvement by NHTSA. Automakers of course have their own ways of uncovering their manufacturing defects - through their dealers, customer assistance lines and even from the folks working on the assembly line. Though recalls can be costly to automakers they're usually quick to issue them once problems are uncovered, especially if they involve safety. Whether or not the recall is government-mandated, NHTSA remains involved by monitoring compliance by the manufacturers in regard to notification and corrective action. For detailed information on these requirements visit the NHTSA site at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallproblems.cfm

You can search for recalls on the safercar.gov website, as well as sign up for recall alerts for all cars or for specific makes and models.

Service Bulletins Manufacturers sometimes issue "service bulletins" - also called technical service bulletins (TSBs) - for certain repairs. A service bulletin can be an authorization by the vehicle manufacturer for dealers to fix particular problems on a car free of charge - even if it is no longer covered by the warranty. Manufacturers do this when a large number of vehicles experience the same problem. Service bulletins are generally not publicized and are often overlooked. This is one reason you may want to consider having at least some of your services done at a dealer (even if just a periodic oil change and tire rotation), as independent companies may neither check nor perform repairs under these directives. So, before you pay for any repairs, you should first check with your dealer's service manager to see if the costs are covered by a service bulletin. Reports on automaker TSBs can be found on websites including alldata.com, as well as on the NHTSA website at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/tsbs.