Schumer Demands Fix to 'Dangerous' Rental Car Loophole
March 2, 2011— -- U.S. Senator Charles Schumer introduced new legislation today that would restrict rental car agencies from renting out cars that are under safety recall, saying the lack of such regulation "boggles the mind."
"Rental car companies should be immediately barred from renting cars that would be pulled from showrooms and car dealer lots because of safety recall concerns," Schumer, D-New York, told reporters. "It's wrong, it's dangerous and it must be stopped."
Under current law, auto dealers cannot sell cars that have been recalled, but the restriction does not extend to rental car agencies. According to one California mother, a bill like the one introduced today could have saved her daughters' lives.
Cally Houck's two daughters, 24-year-old Raechel and 20-year-old Jacquie, were killed in 2004 when the Chrysler PT Cruiser they rented from Enterprise suddenly caught fire before crashing into an oncoming semi-tractor trailer. The car had been under a safety recall for the potential fire hazard, but was still given out to the Houcks. After their daughters were killed, the Houcks sued Enterprise, and after a lengthy legal fight, the company admitted negligence and was required to pay $15 million in damages to the family.
"I don't want my daughters to have lost their lives for nothing... [The bill] will prevent other families from going through the same grief and the same loss," Cally Houck told ABC News. "It certainly means that if we can redeem the loss at all, that this is a good way to do it."
After ABC News reported on "Good Morning America" in July on the death of the two California sisters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a survey of three major rental car companies -- Hertz, Enterprise which owns National and Alamo, and Avis/Budget -- and found that in recall launches from June 2006 through July 2010, they all routinely allowed customers to drive off in cars that have been recalled.
Schumer, who referenced the Houck's story and the NHTSA survey in his announcement, said the new legislation was "common sense."
"This bill is just plain common sense -- rental car companies should not be in the business of renting cars that pose serious risks to drivers and passengers," he said.
