Topic

NHTSA

Technician repairing the rear body of a Subaru Legacy on a frame machine in a collision repair shop

Buyer Guide

How to check any car for open recalls, and what to do if yours has one

NHTSA's free VIN and license-plate lookup flags unrepaired safety recalls in seconds. Here is what it covers, what it misses and what federal law requires of automakers.

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News

NHTSA finalizes fuel economy rollback, projecting 34.9 mpg fleet average by 2031

The rule, published Sept. 30 and effective Nov. 30, resets standards back to the 2022 model year and ends credit trading for credits earned from 2028.

EVs & Tech

NHTSA orders Tesla to explain, under oath, how it certified the Cybercab

A Sept. 10 Special Order gave Tesla until Sept. 30 to answer 21 questions about a robotaxi built without a steering wheel, pedals or mirrors.

Feature

How U.S. fuel-economy rules work now, and what changed in 2026

NHTSA's final SAFE III rule resets CAFE targets to about 34.9 mpg for 2031, months after the EPA repealed vehicle greenhouse-gas limits and Congress zeroed CAFE fines.

Oct 4, 2026