If a rental car is involved in a car accident due to a manufacturing defect – don’t expect the rental company to compensate for injuries or even wrongful death.This may come as a shock but current statutes and regulations don’t require rental car companies to have recalled vehicles repaired!
Tragically, two wrongful deaths suffered in a rental car has finally brought the issue to the attention of Congress which is now considering the passage of the “Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Care Act of 2011”. The two young sisters were killed in a car crash caused by a defect in the Chrylser PT Cruiser they rental from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 2004. Chrysler had had recalled nearly 500,000 PT Cruisers a month before their car accident because of a design defect that could result in fire from a leakage of flammable power steering fluid onto hot engine surfaces or catalytic converters. Enterprise ignored the recall and rented the car to three previous customers before the Houck car accident tragedy.
The proposed legislation is being fought by the car rental industry and provides for banning the rentals of cars and trucks under safety-defect recalls until they are repaired. In addition, the bill prohibits sales of rental cars with uncorrected defects noting that rental companies sold over 1.4 million motor vehicles to auctions, wholesalers and consumers in 2010 reportedly without advising prospective purchasers of the defects.
For over 25 years in South Chicago, Grazian and Volpe has advocated for the victims of motor vehicle accidents. The best accident is an avoided accident and we feel the pending legislation goes a long way in helping to avoid accidents and injuries. We ask that all our clients and readers of our blogs and followers on LinkedIn,. Facebook and WCIU, You and Me in the Morning contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and ask for them to advocate and vote for the passage of this bill in Congress. Remember, staying safe is the best- but if you can’t stay safe, stay with Grazian and Volpe, Your Chicago and South Chicago Injury Attorneys for over 25 years.
