Lawmakers fight end 'rent car roulette' risk

Flanked by Cally Houck, the two Announces, young daughter in a fiery rent accident in 2004, Boxer lost Senator Barbara results of rental car promises make a "constant commitment not to rent or sell all vehicles under Security remember until the bug has been fixed."

Herb white tree, the ConsumerMan
If you rent a car you should not be afraid if it is safe to drive. But alas, you do.

Federal law prohibits no rental car companies put out you but was not fixed behind the steering wheel of a car or truck, the security shall be subject to a recall.

"What they're doing now 'rent car roulette' with people's lives plays," said Rosemary Shahan, President of consumers for automobile reliability and safety (cars). "It is only common sense that if the vehicle is a security callback they should it until it is resolved is ground."

"You are really at the mercy of the car rental companies," says David Butler with Union consumers, the Department of consumer reports. "We have seen cases where people have rented a car that is been pointed out, it is still not resolved and there were real problems, accidents and even in a few specific cases, deaths."

Senator Barbara Boxer (D - CA) and Charles Schumer (D - NY) want to change the law. Last year, she led the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck safe rental car Act (S. 14450) would prohibit the rental from rental or sale of cars, which are security under a recall, until they are repaired.

The Bill is named after two sisters from Santa Cruz, California, died in a fiery crash in 2004. She popped in an 18-Wheeler, after their enterprise rental car in recommended brand. Had the car for a possible engine fire was recalled, but had not been repaired.

After the accident of the mother sisters successfully sued companies and works since this practice change industry according to.

"I not my daughters died in vain will," says me Cally Houck. "It was clear that company knew exactly what he did." Companies have reminds no corporate strategy to the rental car. "It is first and above all policy is to rent the car."

Consumer advocates hope that the safety deposit box rental get some car Act traction. In the meantime Boxer hopes to arrange the industry voluntarily its policy on the recalled vehicles prior to the busy summer season rent to change car.

"We can allow another family to endure the pain and the loss of Cally Houck and her family have been through," says Senator Boxer.

She asked three weeks ago, she sent a letter to the Managing Director of the major car rental companies to the following promise 30 days:

"Effective immediately our company makes a permanent commitment does not rent or sell all vehicles under safety recall, until the bug has been fixed."

Today, said at a press conference of on Capitol Hill, Boxer, only Hertz's commitment, approved as written. The other companies - enterprise, dollar/thrifty, and Avis - approved not the promise in their entirety and without condition.

Company says it has already changed its policy, but it would not commit to the full and permanent guarantee of required boxers promise.

Company would not speak to me something, but in a recent letter to Senator Boxer, CEO Andrew Taylor gave the answer of the company. He writes:

"Companies have in the more than eight years since the accident in 2004, which tragically claimed the lives of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck and the car rental industry with automakers to improve the existing procedure for receiving and responding to notices remind worked." "Greatly enhance these efforts, together with our commitment to our callback procedures have contributed to a similar event prevent in the hundreds of millions of transactions, renting since then, and we continue to be everything in our power to ensure that none of this ever happened."

Taylor says that current corporate policy prohibited the rental of vehicles, which is subject to a security callback until the callback fixed. Therefore he writes "no concerns regarding the security of the vehicles we have to rent."

Another potential risk
The motor vehicle safety Act prohibits a dealer from the sale of a vehicle, that security is part of a recall until it is resolved. The law does not apply to car rental companies. They can, if they choose, rent or sell a car under recall, without warning or the necessary repairs.

Consumer advocates call this an other dangerous gap, one that rent the safe car Act would close.

"What happened seems to, that the car rental companies let you, until they sell the vehicle reminds the stack", says Clarence Ditlow, Director of the Center for auto safety. "If they sell, there is no disclosure, that it is an excellent memory, so you a double whammy, that the defect is not fixed and there is now a new owner who received not the recall notice by the company car."

Agree with rental car companies that sign the Boxer promise would not sell recalled vehicles - also on the wholesale market - not be repaired.

My two cents
It is ridiculously easy for a company a rental car with a potential security risk not been fixed is. You need not to worry, that behind the wheel of a such a vehicle, if you rent a car.

You, the car rental companies do not pay thinking for the recall repair - the manufacturer. All they lose is an income while the car off the road.

This is a practice that should be already legally prohibited. Voluntary agreements can always be changed. Congress must pass the rental car safety act to ensure that no other innocent and unsuspecting customers being violated.