Since the 2010 Toyota sudden acceleration scandal, the media and federal regulators have given a great deal of attention to the issue of vehicle recalls. Car manufacturers are being held to higher standards in regard to issuing them and the public is more consistently informed about them.

However, a loophole exists which continues to leave the public vulnerable to accidents caused by malfunctioning motor vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has yet to impose the same kinds of recall regulations on rental car companies as it does on manufacturers and retailers.

The safety-advocacy organization Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety is trying to close this loophole. The group is calling on Congress to transfer recall-related regulatory authority over rental companies to the NHTSA. That agency would then be tasked with prohibiting these companies from transferring recalled rental vehicles to customers in any capacity before they are repaired.

The same transfer of authority and recall practice modifications are outlined in an amendment to the surface transportation bill currently under consideration by the U.S. Senate. Senators Boxer and Schumer authored the amendment.

Given that rental car companies make up the largest new car purchasers and sources of used cars on the continent, regulation over their recall practices is sorely needed. Tens of millions of vehicles are recalled in the United States every year. Because rental car companies escape oversight in the ways in which they deal with these recalled and potentially dangerous vehicles, U.S. consumers are being injured and losing their lives.

Check back later this week, as we continue our discussion on the safety hazards posed by the unregulated recall practices of the U.S. rental car industry.

Source: USA Today, "Safety advocates: Rental car recalls should be regulated," Gary Stoller, Feb. 21, 2012