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WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION
The following list is a starting point for getting more details or registering
various types of
complaints.
Manufacturer/Dealer/Associations
The National Automobile Dealers Association—www.nada.org—is
a major trade
association of U.S. automobile dealers. It publishes a number of brochures
for consumers
on topics such as automotive safety. For details, call (703) 821-7000
or 1-800-252-6232 or
write to:
National Automobile Dealers Association
8400 Westpark Drive
McLean, VA 22102
The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association—http://www.rvia.org/--is
a national trade
association representing manufacturers of motor homes, travel trailers,
truck campers,
multi-use vehicles, and component part suppliers. It publishes brochures
offering hints for
buyers, tips for campers, and safety and driving tips, among other topics.
For details, call
(703) 620-6003 or write to:
Recreational Vehicle Industry Association
1896 Preston White Drive
PO Box 2099
Reston, VA 20195-0999
The Automobile Importers of America represents foreign-car manufacturers
in the U.s.
For details, call (703) 525-7788 or write to:
Automobile Importers of America
1725 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202
www.aiam.org
The Rubber Manufacturers Association--http://www.rma.org--offers
information on tires
and other rubber products. For details, call (202) 682-4800 or write to:
Rubber Manufacturers Association
1400 K Street, NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
For information and publications on using certified car technicians for
repairs, contact:
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
13505 Dulles Technology Drive
Suite 2
Herndon, VA 22071-3421
877-ASE-TECH
website: http://www.asecert.org/
You also can call the car manufacturers' headquarters or their regional
offices directly.
Ask your local dealer for details.
Consumer Groups
The website of the Better Business Bureau—www.bbb.org—is
full of good information.
Almost every state has a Better Business Bureau (BBB). Every local BBB
has a hot line
for automobile-related complaints, particularly regarding warranties.
The BBB arranges
arbitration hearings for participating manufacturers. Check your local
telephone directory
or write to:
Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.
4200 Wilson Boulevard, 8th Floor
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 276-0100
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is the definitive source for information
on
drunk driving. There are many local chapters, which can easily be located
in an Internet
search or on the MADD website. Their national contact information is as
follows:
MADD
P.O. Box 541688
Dallas, TX 75354-1688
800-GET-MADD
http://www.madd.org/
Ralph Nader's consumer protection organization is the Center for Auto
Safety. It provides
information on automobile defects for various models of cars and may follow-up
on
consumer complaints: Write to:
Center for Auto Safety
Suite 410
2001 S Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
http://www.autosafety.org/
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has an affiliate dedicated entirely
to traffic
safety. You can reach it at:
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
1440 New York Ave NW
Suite 201
Washington, DC 20005
202-638-5944
http://www.aaafts.org/
A private website with extensive information about lemon laws including
a state-by-state
listing can be found at http://www.car-lemon-law.com
The Consumer Information Center has various booklets that might be of
interest to you.
Call or write them at: Consumer Information Center-N, P.O. Box 100, Pueblo,
Colorado
81002; telephone, (719) 948-3334 or find them on the web at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/.
Consumer Federation of America
1424 16th Street, NW
Suite 604
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 387-6121
http://www.consumerfed.org/
The National Safety Council also address auto safety issues.
National Safety Council
1121 Springlake Drive
Itasca, IL 60130
(708) 285-1121
http://www.nsc.org/
Government
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has many pamphlets related to automobiles.
It has
regional offices, which are listed in the "Where to Get More Information"
section of the
"Consumer Credit" chapter. You also can call the FTC's Bureau
of Consumer Protection at
(202) 326-2222 or write to:
Federal Trade Commission
Bureau of Consumer Protection
6th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
http://www.ftc.gov/, http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-auto.htm
You may also want to look at this specialized site that deals with the
Magnuson-Moss Act:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/warranty/undermag.htm
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides information
on
car recalls and defect investigations. You also can report safety-related
defects. The
NHTSA offers a toll-free auto safety hot line. In the D.C. area, you can
call this hot line at
(202) 366-0123. In the continental U.S., call the hot line at 1-800-424-9393.
Or write to:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
http://www.nhtsa.gov/
The State of California Department of Consumer Affairs has a helpful website
for
consumers who want to understand more about vehicle leases, at
http://www.dca.ca.gov/legal/l-6.html.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is a federal agency
that offers
safety-related information on most, but not all, products available to
the consumer market.
In Maryland, call (301) 504-0580 and ask for the "Public Affairs
Department." In the rest
of the United States, call 1-800-638-2772. Or you can write to:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, DC 20207
http://www.cpsc.gov/,
National Transportation Safety Board
490 L'Enfant East, SW
Washington, DC 20594
(202) 382-6600
http://www.ntsb.gov/, http://www.ntsb.gov/Surface/Highway/highway.htm
For additional assistance with automobile-related problems or questions,
you also can
contact your state attorney general's offices or your state Department
of Consumer Affairs.
Some states have separate bureaus that handle only motor vehicle problems.
Your state or
local Department of Motor Vehicles also may be helpful. Check your local
telephone
directory.
Insurance
For information designed to help consumers understand state laws and insurance,
contact:
Insurance Information Institute
110 William Street
New York, NY 10038
(212) 669-9200
http://www.iii.org/
The Insurance Information Institute not only has many useful pamphlets,
and also has
state and regional counterparts.
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