Major Rental Car Companies agree on not using Defective Rental Cars to keep recalled cars off the Road

When we rent a car and the car is defective or under the subject of recall, then this could take car renter’s life and can be exposed to many liability and claims from legal standpoint. In 2004, two sisters, Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, drove in a rented Chrysler PT Cruiser when they lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an 18-Wheeler. They died at the scene.

The PT Cruiser that they rented was recalled due to the problems with a hose which leads to the steering wheel fluid that may spill, leaving the drivers unable to control their vehicles. They were unaware that the car they were driving were recalled until weeks after the accident. Legislators and Senators are working on this issue to keep public safe. The renting companies have agreed to keep the recalled vehicles in the garage. But, until the law passes, there is nothing that would prohibit them from renting these cars with known car defects that are under recalls.

“Believe or not, it still is not against the law to rent a car with a serious flaw,” Senator Chuck Schumer said in a conference call to discuss the new law. “When consumers go to the rental car counter, they should not have to worry about what you are getting.” “Now that we are solving this important gap in the law once and for all”.

Senator Schumer hopes that Bill will pass during the year-end lame duck after the November elections.

Hertz said it had had a policy since at least 1989 not to rent or sell cars facing recall until they were repaired. Enterprise also said it had a similar policy.

Laura Bryant, an Enterprise spokeswoman, said the company initially didn’t think that federal oversight was necessary. But the position changed after customers told the company that they would feel safer if there was a federal law.

“At some point you realize if this is what your customers want, then you need to deliver,” she said.

Bottom line, we need to stop renting vehicle that are under recall which means that the problems with these vehicles are already identified by the Government testing and complaints received from many individuals all across the United States. As a consumer, we can individually check online if the vehicle that we are renting are subject to recalls made in the past.

12th October, 2012 | The TRACY firm in Dallas, Texas