Car recalls, MPG & safety ratings glossary (US)
Short, plain-English definitions for the terms that show up on the US car model pages on this site.
- Recall
A formal campaign a manufacturer files with NHTSA when it finds a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard in a vehicle it already sold. Each one gets a unique campaign number and a free remedy for owners.
Fonte: NHTSA recallsByVehicle API — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
- NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - the US federal agency that collects recall filings and runs the government's own crash-test program. Its data is public record, free to reuse.
- NHTSA campaign number
The unique ID NHTSA assigns to each recall (for example 23V070000). You can search this exact number on NHTSA.gov to read the manufacturer's own filing.
- MPG
Miles per gallon - how far a vehicle travels per gallon of fuel, as measured in the EPA's own standardized lab tests. City, highway and combined MPG each reflect a different driving cycle.
Fonte: fueleconomy.gov — US EPA & Department of Energy.
- MPGe
The EV equivalent of MPG - how far an electric vehicle travels using the amount of energy in one gallon of gasoline (33.7 kWh), so electric and gas vehicles can be compared on the same scale.
- Combined fuel economy
A weighted average of city and highway fuel economy (roughly 55% city, 45% highway) - the single number most often quoted for a vehicle.
- 5-Star Safety Rating
NHTSA's own crash-test program, independent from the manufacturer. It scores frontal crash, side crash and rollover risk from 1 to 5 stars; a vehicle configuration NHTSA hasn't tested yet shows as "Not Rated", not zero stars.
Fonte: NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings program — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
- Electronic stability control
A system that automatically brakes individual wheels to help the driver keep control during a skid. It's been mandatory on all new US cars since model year 2012.
- Forward collision warning
A driver-assist feature that alerts the driver when a crash with the vehicle ahead looks imminent. NHTSA tracks whether it comes standard, optional, or not offered at all on a given configuration.
- EPA / fueleconomy.gov
The US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy's joint public database of official fuel-economy and emissions test results for every vehicle sold in the US.