Senate Committee Says Rental Cars Must Have Recall Repairs
U.S. rental cars will need to comply with open recalls before being driven off the lots, a U.S. Senate panel decided Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.
The measure was an about-face from an earlier proposal backed by automakers, consumer groups and some rental car companies, which would have allowed rental cars with known defects to continue to be driven, as long as those defects were disclosed to consumers. NHTSA asked lawmakers to consider the proposal on pulling defective cars off the road in February.
The bill’s opponents said the revised amendment could harm consumers by filling dealerships with rental cars waiting to be repaired.
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said preventing rental car companies from issuing cars with known defects would ultimately be safer for drivers.
“When consumers and families drive a rental car off the lot, they should be able to do so with the confidence that car is safe to drive, and we’re one step closer to that peace of mind today,” she said, according to Bloomberg.
The amendment is part of a much larger, comprehensive bill that tackles automakers’ recalls and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ability to fine or penalize car companies.
The embattled bill, which was proposed by Republicans this month, would double the existing $35 million cap on fines for automakers and extra federal money for vehicle safety measures. Democrats opposed the larger measure, saying it didn’t go far enough. Democrats have introduced a much larger reform measure which would include a recall warning light for new cars.
More by Aaron Cole
Comments
Join the conversation
I do think it would have been better to allow rental vehicles with known defects to be driven with disclosure. After all, I don't really fear for my personal safety if the car is being recalled because it is a part of a batch that was made with defective front grilles that tend to have peeling plastichrome, or whatever...
"The bill’s opponents said the revised amendment could harm consumers by filling dealerships with rental cars waiting to be repaired." What a weak argument. "Sorry about that fuel tank fire, but at least we had your car ready at curbside when you needed it."
This is what happens when legislation that should be driven by technical considerations gets made by those who lack technical expertise. Some recalls are more important than others. It would make sense to have a triage system and then apply this kind of rule to only the most severe recalls. A hospital emergency room would never treat all ailing patients as having equally important problems, for obvious reasons. There's your model for prioritization right there.
Great. Next can we please have a law that says that rental car companies must provide snow tires in winter ...to people renting at the Denver airport ...with a bunch of ski gear ...from a flat state. Thank you!