Have you ever rented a car? Many of us have, either because our normal ride is damaged and needs to be repaired or for business or vacation travel. When we rent a car, especially from a name we know and trust, we expect the vehicle to be in perfect working order and to be meticulously maintained. We expect this because that is how we feel the business would be operated if we were the ones in charge of the company, but the reality is you may have rented a car that was part of a recall and not have known it.
For years there was no law that mandated rental car companies had to fix recalls before their cars could be rented out. This typically meant that a rental car could continue to be in service even with the need for a recall to take place. This is extremely alarming considering the number of recalls on mainstream models over the years and the fact that a vast majority of recalls have to do with the overall safety and drivability of the vehicles. A rental car might not ever see a recall repair being done unless brought in for regular maintenance or for another form of repair.
Thankfully this has now changed. As of June 1, 2016, rental car agencies must fix all open safety defects before allowing a vehicle to be rented out to customers. This is a new law that has come from years of work from the NHTSA. This announcement affects companies that have a fleet greater than 35 vehicles, which certainly puts nearly ever rental car company on the list of companies that need to make sure every recall is taken care of before their vehicles head back out on the road in the hands of an unsuspecting family on their annual vacation.
With this law passed, the NHTSA now has the authority to investigate and punish any company that is found to be in violation of this law. The law was part of a fight for change from the family of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck. These two were sisters who died in a rental vehicle that was part of a safety recall that had not been addressed by the rental car company that owned the vehicle. Now that the NHTSA has this law and the investigative authority they need, unnecessary deaths such as these two can be avoided.
As we see this law come into effect the massive Takata airbag recall comes to mind as one of the first that most of these companies will need to address. As we see some new cars are still being sold with the airbags in them that could be faulty, rental car companies will need to take precautions and have every vehicle checked for recalls and cleared of them before putting them back on the road. This certainly will go a long way to making us feel even more confident and comfortable with the rental cars we choose. No family should ever head out on vacation only to wonder if the vehicle they are driving is safe and has had all its recalls taken care of; that should be common sense and the law and now it is.