NHTSA To Congress: Pull Recalled Used, Rental Vehicles Off The Road
The next vehicle the TTAC Zaibatsu or the B&B rent could be safer if Congress heeds the call of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
AutoGuide reports the NHTSA is calling upon Congress to pass legislation that would bar rental companies and used-car dealerships from renting or selling any vehicle under recall without first being repaired; current legislation only asks of such things for new vehicles prior to sale.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said that “requiring rental car agencies and used car dealers to fix defective vehicles before renting is a common-sense solution” that would improve road safety. Foxx adds that Congress should follow the lead of both safety advocates and the rental-car industry in taking a stand on the issue.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
More by Cameron Aubernon
Comments
Join the conversation
Other than a heartfelt idea, how many rental cars with recall actions are in the inventory. How many are critical?
There is a difference between recalls for safety issues and recalls for convenience issues. There is a good argument for requiring that problems with brakes, steering, air bags, etc. be repaired before the vehicle is rented or sold. Other stuff, like air conditioning or radio, won't kill anyone if they fail in traffic.
"Other than a heartfelt idea, how many rental cars with recall actions are in the inventory. How many are critical?" I don't think recalls are rated according to criticality. They're all just considered safety defects. If such a rule were to be enacted, though, I think some kind of ranking based on probability of occurrence vs. potential for injury would have to be established Parts are being used across model platforms are causing recalls to bloom to ever larger numbers of cars affected. I can see this as having the potential to cripple rental fleets. What are rental firms supposed to do while suppliers tool up to make all the replacement switches, airbags, etc? My Dodge has a recall on it, which apparently covers everything with a Pentastar engine, to replace the alternator, which is apparently being hand carved from a solid billet. Not even a vague ETA.
Last fall I rented a new Impala (W body "Limited"). When I went to the stall to get in the car, there was just a key, no remote. I went back to report the missing remote so I wouldn't be accused of losing it. At first they looked all around their key storage boards to try and find it. They finally said there was some sort of recall and they were not giving out anything but the bare key until the recall was completed.