Economy Car Brands and Links

Economy car recalls

Find recall information at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website.

So far there are only three outstanding recalls for 2011 model year economy cars:

The 2011 Nissan Sentra currently is involved in a recall concerning its battery cables. Due to a machining irregularity, the two battery terminals can gap which could result in the engine stopping while the vehicle is in motion. This problem may affect models manufactured May 22, 2010 through July 8, 2010.

Suzuki has recalled the 2011 SX4 for an improperly manufactured spring in the accessory belt that can lead to the drive belt coming off, among other issues. This could affect power steering operation and could lead to the engine stalling while the vehicle is in motion.

Finally, in some 2011 Volvo C30s, an improperly tightened gearshift lever stud may lead to the gearshift cable becoming loose, preventing the driver from engaging, disengaging or shifting gears.

For further information on these recalls and recall information for model years 2010 and older, you can find a comprehensive recall database at www.safercar.gov.

Info on fuel economy, safety ratings and resale

The prices of some new station wagons and midsize sedans are coming down, and the upfront cost for a preowned 2009 or 2010 model -- and even some new 2011 models -- should run about the same as for some new 2011 compact cars. Check out the ConsumerSearch reports on station wagons and family sedans for more information. We've also posted archived, older single-car reports if you're considering a preowned car or station wagon.

You can find reliability and resale data at websites like ConsumerGuide.com, Edmunds.com and the Kelley Blue Book website.

FuelEconomy.gov is a government website containing updated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel-efficiency estimates for individual vehicles. Statistics for past and current model years are included, and economy ratings for older models have been updated to reflect the current testing standards.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a nonprofit organization that tests vehicles and assigns safety ratings in an attempt to cut the number of annual losses due to car crashes. Cars are evaluated based on three different impact scenarios, and scores are fairly easy to understand and interpret.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducts government-sponsored crash testing of most current vehicles. The NHTSA website offers a wealth of information about each car's performance in testing, which differs somewhat from tests done by the IIHS, as well as coverage of potential safety concerns and advances in engineering technology. NHTSA changed its testing methodology for 2011, thus results for 2011 models cannot be directly compared to results of cars 2010 and older. See its website for further information.

Inside Line is Edmunds.com's enthusiast-oriented website. While magazines print periodic updates of their long-term test fleets, Edmunds Inside Line takes this to a higher level, publishing regular, descriptive updates that relate what it's like to live with the wide variety of cars in its long-term fleet. The site also has more traditional reviews and comparison tests.

Informative press releases and links to news items can be found at Autoblog.com, which also usually posts one feature-length vehicle review a day.