More federal agencies are looking into whether rental car companies are renting potentially dangerous recalled vehicles.

First Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) requested that the FTC crack down. Now the issue of rental car companies renting out cars under recall has come to the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NTSA launched an investigation into the practices of rental car companies regarding recalled cars – propelled in part by stories of injuries and deaths in rental cars under recall.

The NHTSA says it has recently learned of injuries and accidents stemming from recalled cars and it wants to probe further into the problem, reports CNN Money. As noted in a prior post on FindLaw’s Common Law, Senator Schumer has also been asking that the FTC change its regulations to force rental car companies to adhere to the same recall practices that car dealerships do: If it’s under recall, it can’t be sold by dealers and shouldn’t be rented by rental car agencies.

According to Enterprise, the company currently places a “hold” on all recalled vehicles until the required work is complete. The company says this is the practice even if a recall notice does not recommend that the car should not be driven until the recall work is finished. CNN Money reports that in January, Enterprise Holdings announced it would take some of the recalled Toyotas out of its rental fleets until the required recall work was completed.

The NHTSA investigation will focus on tracking recalled vehicles from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Some of the models NHTSA will investigate include the 2009 Buick Enclave SUV, the 2005-2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivans and the 2010 Ford Explorer.

Related Resources:

  • Feds probe car rental agencies on safety recall repairs (USA Today)
  • Car Safety Recalls (FindLaw)
  • Renting a Car (FindLaw)
  • $15M Award in Rental Car Death Lawsuit (FindLaw’s Injured)

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Civil Rights

Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court

Criminal

Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records

Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules