Recalled Used Cars Roam the Roads as Federal Legislation Stalls
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/09/business/recalled-used-cars-roam-the-roads-as-federal-legislation-stalls.html
The United States does not have a law requiring the repair of used vehicles — including rental cars — that have been recalled for safety issues before they are rented or sold to the public. Used-car dealers and rental car companies are allowed to fix problems when — and if — they see fit. And they are not required by law to disclose to customers that a vehicle is the subject of a recall.
Even as Congress and law enforcement officials investigate the delayed recall of 2.6 million General Motors cars for a faulty ignition, auto dealers and many manufacturers oppose efforts to require recalled used and rental cars to be immediately repaired. These efforts include a measure recently sent to Congress and a separate Senate bill that has languished since 2011.
Dealers contend that not all recalls require immediate attention, though regulators say recalls, by definition, involve pressing safety concerns. And auto manufacturers, while not opposed in principle to mandatory repairs, want protection from rental car companies that might sue over lost business while recalled cars are out of service.
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But without a law, safety advocates and regulators say, consumers must take the rental car company’s or dealer’s word that the repairs were made, and have limited ability to seek redress without that assurance. “It should be a slam dunk,” David J. Friedman, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said of required repairs. “To me it is hard to oppose ensuring that people who buy a car, whether it is new or used, or whether you are renting a vehicle, can have the confidence that it is safe.”
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The bill in the Senate would apply only to rental cars. Introduced in 2011, it was largely a reaction to the death of two sisters, Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, who were killed in a recalled but unrepaired rental car in 2004. It is not seen as having enough support to pass as a stand-alone bill, but it could become part of a bigger piece of legislation.
Our government, even the Democratically-controlled Senate, standing tall for corporate profits over the lives of Americans.
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