How Safe Are Rental Cars

If your car is recalled for a safety defect, you should receive a notice from the manufacturer. But what about when you rent a car? As it turns out, there is not a law that says rental-car companies have to tell you whether the car you’re renting was recalled or whether the problem was fixed.

For example, in 2004, two people died in a rental car crash that was at least in part caused by a recalled but unrepaired vehicle. Enterprise Rent-A-Car paid a $15 million settlement. After the settlement, Enterprise, and many other rental car companies, such as Budget and Hertz, pledged in writing not to rent or sell rental cars that had not been repaired.

But the pledge is voluntary. Efforts to make it illegal for companies to rent recalled cars with defects have failed to pass Congress.

If you have been injured in an auto accident in Alaska... Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Ben Crittenden for a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options and find out our estimate of the value of your case.