Through unlicensed body shops, it is estimated as many as 30 percent of totaled vehicles are cleaned up cosmetically and put back into the used car market for sale to unsuspecting buyers, says “Encompass, The AAA Companion.”

Luckily, there’s a way to check to see if that car you’re considering buying has been totaled — or stolen.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has created a free, searchable public database of totaled vehicles (3 million are totaled every year) using records supplied by insurance companies. Prospective used car buyers can go to the Web site — www.nicb.org — and click on VINCheck. Enter the vehicle identification number to determin if a vehicle has been reported as stolen, but not recovered, or has been reported as a previously declared total loss vehicle by cooperating NICB members.

Via MotherProof:

“Here’s an interesting recall: Smart USA is recalling some of its 2008 Smart ForTwo cars that have problematic paint. Testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a batch of defective paint was used on 43 Smart ForTwos. The defective paint could lead to ‘de-laminating’ around the car’s windshield and roof.

What this means is that the windshield or roof could come off of the car’s body. And lead to a crash, of course.

To find out if they’re affected by the recall, Smart ForTwo owners should call Smart USA at 248-648-2451. Smart dealers will repaint the affected areas. Until then, wear a helmet and goggles!”

(Emphasis mine because that is really scary!)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently completed front, side, and rear crash test evaluations of eight small SUV models. For the first time, every model the Institute tested comes equipped with electronic stability control as standard equipment.

The best performers, earning the Institute’s Top Safety Pick award, are:

2009 Ford Escape

2008 Mitsubishi Outlander

2008 Nissan Rogue

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan

These four models earn good ratings in all  three of the Institute’s evaluations. They are equipped with standard electronic stability control and side airbags. The Escape’s ratings also apply to the hybrid version, which is also sold as the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute.

Not performing as well was the two-door Jeep Wrangler in the side-impact tests. Tested without its optional side airbags, the Wrangler earned the lowest rating of poor. One problem was that the driver door opened during the impact. (When side airbags are optional, the Institute’s policy is to test without the option because this is how most of the vehicles will be sold.)

The National Insurance Crime Bureau released its Hot Wheels 2008 auto theft report for vehicles stolen in 2007. As in previous years, thieves preferred to steal older-model vehicles. The top 10 most stolen vehicles in 2007 included decades-old models like the 1988 Toyota pickup and the 1989 Toyota Camry.

The full list (in case you want to avoid owning any of them):

10. 2007 Toyota Corolla

9. 1988 Toyota Pickup

8. 1994 Nissan Sentra

7. 2004 Dodge Ram

6. 1994 Acura Integra

5. 1994 Chevy C/K 1500 Pickup

4. 1997 Ford F150-Series Pickup

3. 1989 Toyota Camry

2. 1991 Honda Accord

1. 1995 Honda Civic

The reason older models are ripe for the lifting is that vehicles that were hot sellers as new cars a few years ago now need replacement parts — especially Ford’s F150 and GM’s Chevy C/K 1500 pickups, both popular selling trucks in the 1990s, according to this story from Forbes.

You can see a slide show of these “Hot Wheels” here.

Here’s news of another recall — Chrysler Sebrings and Dodge Avengers this time — from MSNBC.com.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said unused electrical connectors for the monitoring system could become corroded and short circuit, leading to problems starting the engine, a dead battery, an inoperative cruise control or engine stalling.

Owners can contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403.

Back in December, I reported on recalls from the “Big Three.” Now, it seems there’s a little recall for Pontiac — a Pontiac Solstice look alike designed for Cinderella. The light blue Cinderella 12-Volt Electric Ride-On Vehicle resembles the Pontiac Solstice and has Cinderella graphics on the front and sides. It’s being recalled because the wires under the hood of the car and/or in the battery compartment under the seat can short circuit, posing a fire and burn hazard to children riding in the car. Consumers should immediately take the recalled toy cars away from children and contact Dumar International at 866-424-0500 or visit www.dumarusa.com for a free retrofit kit, including a new battery.

So now we not only have to worry about keeping kids safe in our cars, we have to make sure their toy cars are safe too. Cinderella only had to worry about her carriage turning into a pumpkin at midnight. Our little princesses have to worry about their bottoms turning into scorched buns while driving around in this carriage. Looking at this car, I don’t think it has air bags, stability control or antilock brakes either. Anyone can see it’s built only for looks. Besides, we all know Cinderella wouldn’t be caught dead driving herself around. That’s what the enchanted mice are for.

Last month I noted that Ford, GM and Chrysler had recalls in December. Based on those recalls, I was feeling pretty good about being the owner of a Honda. So, imagine my dismay when I recently opened a letter from Honda to find that my beloved Element needed to have its instrument panel replaced. The letter reads: “This letter is to notify you of a potential problem with your vehicle and what you should do to resolve it. What is the problem? The needles in the instrument panel gauges may read inaccurately or fall off.” Wait. What? The needles may FALL OFF? The letter goes on to say, “The gauges that can be affected include the speedometer, the tachometer, the fuel and the coolant temperature.” So, I could be cruising along at 40 or 50 miles per hour, thinking I’m only going 35 mph or that I have a half tank of gas when it’s actually almost empty. Or I could get in my car to find the gauge needles resting comfortably at the bottom of the panel. I have faith that my trusty service adviser and her team of mechanics will put everything in order and my car will be back to as good as new in no time. But in the meantime, I’m a little depressed at these developments, especially after feeling so superior about my automotive choice. I guess that’s karma for you.

If you own a 2007 Honda Element and have yet to receive this distressing letter, you can call Honda Automobile Customer Service at 800-999-1009 for more information.

GM announced today that it is recalling 310,000 vehicles to fix a fluid leak that could lead to the driver losing control of the vehicle, according to this AP article. The recalled vehicles include the 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS and STS sedans, 2005-2007 Cadillac SRX crossovers, and 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and the 2007 Saturn Sky convertibles.

This marks the third time this month one of the “Big 3″ Detroit automakers have announced a recall. Ford announced a recall Dec. 6, with Chrysler announcing one just two days later. GM rounds out the three with their announcement today.

The Insurance Instititute for Highway Safety released its minivan bumper test results today. “None of 6 minivans, all 2008 models, is designed to resist vehicle damage in many low-speed collisions. The front and rear bumper systems on these minivans allowed $5,000 or more damage in a series of 4 crash tests conducted at 3 and 6 mph. The Nissan Quest was the worst, sustaining damage that cost more than $8,000 to repair,” says a news release at the Institute’s Web site.

The best performer, the Honda Odyssey, sustained $5,258 in damages. The Nissan Quest — the worst — had $8,102 in repair costs. In between, the Dodge Grand Caravan sustained $5,495, the Toyota Sienna had $5,726, the Chevrolet Uplander had $5,799 and the Kia Sedona sustained $6,525 in damages.

The Nissan Quest failed the bumper tests “miserably,” the release says. The Quest’s rear bumper system failed when its reinforcement bar cracked and was driven into the rear body of the vehicle, resulting in expensive repairs. The tailgate was so badly damaged it had to be replaced.

However, all of the minivans performed somewhat better in the bumper tests than the midsize cars (and much better than the luxury cars) the Institute tested earlier this year, due in part to the higher front bumpers on minivans, which keep the minivans from underriding the test barrier.

“Because minivans and other passenger vehicles allow so much damage in low-speed collisions, we have to pay attention to comparative repair and replacement costs,” says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. “The best way to avoid these costs is for automakers to equip their vehicles with bumper systems that resist damage in the first place. Until manufacturers do this, consumers will have to study our crash test results and shop accordingly.”

Chrysler has announced it will recall 575,417 vehicles due to the fact that long-term wear on the gear shift assembly could cause them to shift out of park without the key in the ignition, according to this story.The recall involves 2001 to 2002 Dodge Dakotas, Durangos and Ram vans and 2002 Ram trucks.