Talking about problems with your car on Facebook, as well as tweeting about them could help lead to a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is exploring alternative avenues to discover problems with vehicles that could lead to a defect investigation and ultimately a recall. An agency spokeswoman said last week to Automotive News that NHTSA investigators are routinely searching enthusiast forums, trade publications and magazines to find possible areas to investigate.

If there doesn’t seem to be substantial information, investigators also search social media sites for further early evidence before it might reach the agency through traditional channels. Other than that,even if a NHTSA investigator sees your internet screams,  going on a Twitter rant isn’t likely to do much. Recalls require a lengthy process that involve a defect investigation and then a engineering analysis before a recall can be issued, which could take years. If last year is any indication, there might not be any storage in 2013. NHTSA issued 17.8 million recalls in 2012 ranging over more than 650 campaigns.