Center for Auto Safety (CAS)
1825 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 330
Washington, DC 20009
202-328-7700 ext. 107
Web site: www.autosafety.org
Center for Auto Safety advocates on behalf of consumers in auto safety and
quality, fuel efficiency, emissions, and related issues. For advice on specific problems,
CAS requests that consumers write a brief statement of the problem or question; include
the year, make, model of the vehicle, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
What is the Center for Auto Safety
Ralph Nader and Consumers Union founded the Center for Auto Safety (CAS)
in 1970 to provide consumers a voice for auto safety and quality in Washington
and to help lemon owners fight back across the country. With less than half what
General Motors spends on a single Super Bowl commercial, CAS has taken
on the auto giants and won.
Among the accomplishments of the Center for auto safety
are:
Lemon laws in every state to make it as
easy to take back a defective car as a defective toaster.
Recall of the infamous Ford Pinto for exploding gas tanks and the
Firestone
500 tire for tread separation.
Exposure of GM Firebomb
pickups with side saddle gas tanks that have
burned to death over 750 people.
State laws to force disclosure of secret warranties on
cars that can
save consumers billions of dollars each year.
Safety and highway standards that have dropped the death rate on
America's
road from 5.2 per 100 million vehicles mile traveled in 1969 to 1.7 in
1997.
Publication of the landmark Lemon
Book, an action
manual for lemon owners that has helped hundreds of thousands of consumers
get lemonaide.
Publication of the Car Book to help consumers
buy peaches and avoid lemons.
Numerous legal victories over government agencies that have saved vital
consumer, safety and environmental laws under assault by industry
If you are still unsuccessful, consider contacting the other organizations that handle
consumer complaints.
These programs are alternative dispute resolution programs. Generally,
there are three types: arbitration, conciliation and mediation. All three methods of
dispute resolution vary.
Ask for a copy of the rules of the program before you file your case.
Decisions of the arbitrators are binding and must be accepted by both the customer and the
business.
However, in other forms of dispute resolution, only the business is required to accept the
decision.
In some programs, decisions are not binding on either party.
Before contacting one of these programs, try to resolve the complaint with the company.
If you still cannot resolve your problem, contact one of the third-party resolution
programs.
Be sure to contact your local or state consumer agency to see if your state offers
state-run dispute resolution programs.
If you suspect you have a vehicle problem that might fall under your state's lemon law,
call your local or state consumer protection agency to find out about your rights under
the lemon law.
f you have a safety problem with your vehicle, report it to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration Auto Safety Hotline.
1-888-DASH-2-DOT
(1-888-327-4236)
8:00AM to 10:00PM ET Monday-Friday
National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration also provides recall and crash test information, but
does not handle complaints.
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