The federal government wants to make new-tire registration easier in case manufacturers need to contact you for a recall.  Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed new rules that would allow consumers to register tire purchases online or let tire dealers register them electronically.

Currently, tire dealers should give you a pre-printed card when you buy new tires.  You fill it out, put a stamp on it and mail it, so that the manufacturer can notify you in the event of a recall. (The law stipulates that the manufacturer can use your information only for a recall.) The system works well at manufacturer-owned or -operated stores; 80 to 90 percent of consumers who buy tires there register them.  But independent tire dealers account for about two-thirds of the market, and consumers there do far worse. According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association, only about 10 percent of the consumers at independent dealers return cards, and many come back illegible or incomplete.

If enacted, NHTSA’s proposed rules would save you a stamp by providing a website where you could register new tires. Alternatively, dealers could automatically register the tires online for you.

Tire recalls made headlines last year when a New Jerseybased importer recalled 255,000 Chinesemade tires. A safety defect in the tires had contributed to a 2006 crash in which two people died.