The information, which auto makers and tire manufacturers started submitting to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2003, was given to alert the safety agency to an increase in warranty claims, injuries and other data collected on vehicles to help flag serious issues before they cause serious harm. Safety advocates praised the decision by the courts to force the information to become public, but said the database wasn't 'consumer friendly' enough and didn't disclose enough information. NHTSA is withholding data from the public database, including warranty claims, consumer complaints to the manufacturer and the last six digits of the vehicle's VIN number, to help prevent individuals from being identified. The agency has used the information in 84 defect investigations. In 25 of those cases, the investigations began as a result of trends spotted in the data. Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, called the release of some data 'a victory for consumers.' But she argued NHTSA was keeping much of the information 'confidential under pressure from the manufacturers.' In July, a federal appeals court upheld NHTSA's right to keep some information out of public view. 'NHTSA must provide the public a fuller and more comprehensive picture of the early warning information,' Claybrook said. 'Doing so will greatly benefit consumers and give automakers strong incentives to improve the safety of their vehicles.' Rae Tyson, a NHTSA spokesman, noted the issue was 'been debated endlessly through the courts.' He said 'the data submitted by the manufacturers is doing exactly what Congress intended -- to get into the hands of our investigators.' Automakers say a big reason behind the decline in the number of vehicles recalled has been the early warning system. The data will be reported quarterly at www.safercar.gov and it will be updated every three months. Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said 'automakers place a priority on collecting an extensive range of data that may affect these factors throughout a vehicle's time on the road. In fact, no other industry shares so much product information with the government.' He said, 'The early warning reports that automakers have been providing to NHTSA for the last five years have been combined with traditional data sources, such as testing and engineering design analysis, to help identify potential safety issues.' You can reach David Shepardson at (202) 662-8735 or [email protected].