NHTSA unveils new, easy-to-use auto recall search tool

WASHINGTON (AP) — Searching for a vehicle recall just got a little more user-friendly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday unveiled a new online dashboard for vehicle owners, car shoppers, safety advocates, the media and anyone else to search its massive database for automobile recalls going back 50 years.

The new interface allows users to sort and filter data, search by keyword and export data in a variety of formats. It also displays data in different visual formats such as charts and graphs. The dashboard will be updated daily.

The agency said the automobile safety data has always been available to the public, but users previously had to download and import large files.