It seems that you can’t turn on the news these days without seeing another story about a vehicle defect and recall.

General Motors alone has recalled hundreds of thousands of vehicles this past year. The company’s delayed and mishandled recall of vehicles with defective ignition switches resulted in the deaths of 13 people (and the injuries of who knows how many others), leading to sanctions by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Most recently, GM has recalled nearly 200,000 Saturn Vue SUVs over a fire risk.

Chrysler also issued a recall to fix an ignition switch defect in their Town & Country minivans, Dodge Grand Caravans, Dodge Journey crossovers, Jeep Commanders, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs.

VW followed by recalling its Routan minivans, built by Chrysler, that have the ignition switch defect. Then, the company issued another recall for a separate defect: some VW Tiguans have a defect that could lead to stalling while the SUV is on the road.

With so many recalls occurring from a variety of automakers, it’s hard to stay up to date.

That’s why we recommend that you sign up for recall alerts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

You can get recall alerts on your Android or Apple device or in your email. To sign up for recall alerts on your Android phone, visit the Apps section of Google Play. To get alerts on your iPhone or other Apple device, visit the iTunes store or the App store.

The NHTSA’s SaferCar app is completely free.

If you want to receive recall alerts by email, sign up on SaferCar.gov’s subscription page. You can choose to receive recall alerts for vehicles, tires, motorcycles, motorcycle helmets, and even child restraints.

The email alerts are also free.

By signing up to receive alerts, you get the peace of mind of knowing that you will be notified of important recalls. You won’t need to remember to periodically look up your vehicle, helmet, or child restraints, which makes it easier for you to stay safe.

If you are ever in a car accident that you believe was caused by a defect in your vehicle, you should know that you may have legal options. Talk to a car accident lawyer to find out if you can get compensation for your damages from a personal injury claim.

Photo Credit: Johan Larsson via Compfight cc