Beginning Sept. 10, 2008, NHTSA modified its Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) website to facilitate the public availability of Early Warning Reporting (EWR) data. Manufacturers have been submitting EWR data since 2003. Previously, this information was confidential.
NHTSA is making this information available through a new search engine (http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ewr/qb/index.cfm). The available EWR information includes data on death, injury and property damage claims (including lawsuits) submitted to the manufacturer, along with light vehicle production data. NHTSA is not making the information available in the exact manner in which it was received from the manufacturer. Instead NHTSA has enhanced its utility by providing the component categories utilizing the text definitions and not as the two digits identifiers as submitted by manufacturers. Information on foreign recalls also is available. Some data will remain confidential, including warranty claims, consumer complaints to the manufacturer, field reports, common green tire information, production data for all except light vehicles, and the last six digits of the vehicle identification number in death and injury claims.
New EWR information will be available quarterly. In addition, some historic EWR data will not be available until NHTSA acts on confidentiality requests from individual manufacturers.
