Used Car Buyers Take Warning - Enterprise Admits Renting Vehicles With Outstanding Recalls
Enterprise, the owner of the National and Alamo rental car chains, revealed this week that it regularly rented out vehicles that were under outstanding active safety recalls. A report from ABC News has detailed how the largest rental agency in the United States testified in a recent court case that the company had no official policy regarding recall compliance, instead allowing individual offices and locations to make their own decisions as to when - if ever - cars were to be returned to dealerships to have important safety repairs and modifications made.
The information became public as the result of a court ruling where Enterprise was found liable in the deaths of two customers who had rented a Chrysler PT Cruiser subject to an outstanding recall for a power steering fluid leak. The vehicle in question caught fire and caused an accident that took the lives of the two women who had rented it. Enterprise admitted that it had been aware of the PT Cruiser's recall status and had made it available to customers regardless of the fact that the required repairs had not been done. The company also admitted that this was a common practice at locations across the country. Car rental giants Avis and Hertz have additionally come forward since the ruling to state that they too have never implemented a comprehensive recall policy, instead allowing for piecemeal compliance at the regional level.
While this information is alarming for any of the millions of drivers who rent cars each year - many doing so because they desire the perceived safety and reliability of the new cars inhabiting rental lots - used car buyers have an additional cause for concern as a result of this news. Rental cars are popular on the used car market due to their low prices and generally higher than average maintenance schedule. As rental car companies regularly replace the automobiles in their fleets, there are thousands of off-rental vehicles hitting the market in any given year.
The concern now for used car buyers interested in a vehicle that was once operated by one of the major rental chains is whether it has had any or all of the required safety recalls performed on it. The news concerning the policies of Enterprise, Avis and Hertz indicates that it is no longer prudent to assume that rental car recalls are handled with the same attention to detail as regular maintenance. Any used car buyer considering the purchase of a rental vehicle should verify its recall status with a local dealership prior to handing over any cash or signing on the dotted line. While rental cars may seem like a bargain based on their price, it is far better to make sure that the vehicle in question has had all potential recalls taken care of rather than get caught up in the rush of a great deal and take a gamble on personal safety.