Senate Prepares To Tell Rental Agencies To Park Cars That Have Outstanding Recalls

Senate panel killed a proposal to permit companies to continue renting vehicles that have been recalled, a measure criticized by consumer groups, automakers and even some rental-car companies.

The Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee instead voted Wednesday to require cars be repaired before they’re rented.

The change resulted from an amendment by U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. It modified a bill, introduced last week by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., that would have allowed rentals with known safety defects as long as companies disclosed the open recalls to customers.

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vdiv - 7/16/2015 5:10:02 PM

+1 Boost

Don't remember the last time I rented a car that wasn't overdue for an oil change, had underinflated tires or needed a service of some sort, most often a tire balancing.

So what now? Are we supposed to look up the VIN of every rental before we drive in it after a flight from hell, in the middle of the frigid winter?

vdiv - 7/16/2015 5:19:36 PM

+1 Boost

My "favorite", people steal the coin battery from one of the two key fobs that the rental company always gives you tied together as if you are a freakin' kangaroo and have a bottomless pocket. Naturally consider yourself lucky if the empty one has a nasty sticky masking tape over it with scribbles that "it ain't working".

MDarringer - 7/16/2015 6:54:12 PM

-1 Boost

This is stupid policy. My company car has a recall because it may tell you it needs an oil change after an oil change has been performed and the technician has reset the computer. So I guess I should not be driving it.

monster - 7/17/2015 12:23:22 AM

+3 Boost

I don't know about you but I want a car that has all the recalled fixed. Remember a recall is a safely issue. it is not like the cup holder is not working.
This means the renting company liable to any issues about recall. If the measure is not passed, then the renting company can just notify you that there is a recall and still rent the car to you in the middle of the night and gods knows something happened to the car/you, the rental company is not liable for anything.

I would prefer that the car is fixed before using it.

MDarringer - 7/17/2015 9:40:28 AM

+1 Boost

The issue so ISN'T about "recalls should be fixed" but the idiocy of a blanket mandate that if a car has a recall it's grounded until that recall is fixed. Fact #1: Just because vehicles are recalled does not mean that ALL have the defect. If it's a recall like on the MDX where parts of the car fall off, then yeah, ground it.

This policy is born of hysteria and not rational thought. Gestapo consumerism...

Terry989 - 7/17/2015 10:52:14 AM

+1 Boost

My best Matty Darringer - Idiotic Gestapo Nazi Republican Retard initiated Bill.

vdiv - 7/17/2015 11:01:15 AM

+2 Boost

I kind of agree with MDarringer, but am very skeptical about rental car companies willingness to properly maintain their fleet including addressing recalls and tech bulletins or even following specification (i.e. synthetic oil, viscosity, etc.)

The bigger issue is that often when a recall is announced it covers a wide swath of models sharing the same affected aspect and there is no fix available for a while. There is often a work-around, but good luck expecting the clients to follow through with that.