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Georgia families can feel safer knowing that any safety recalls on the car they’ve rented have been fixed. Effective June 1, 2016, legislation passed that makes it illegal for rental companies to rent any vehicles with open safety recalls. This means that rental companies must have any safety recalls fixed before a vehicle can be rented to consumers.
This has not always been the case. The law was prompted by an auto accident that occurred in 2004 that killed 2 sisters, Jackie and Rachael Houck. The reports indicated that Enterprise Rental Company was not legally required to disclose, and did not inform, the sisters about a safety recall on the PT Cruiser they had rented. It had been recalled because of a faulty power steering hose that could cause a fire and lead to loss of steering. The sisters were killed when their car veered off the road, hit a semi-truck and burst into flames.
Unfortunately, the law still does not apply to rental companies that rent fewer than 34 vehicles. Therefore, if you find yourself renting from a smaller company, you should make sure to check for any open recalls before driving the car. You can check for recalls by visiting the website safercar.gov.
Some of the more recent, highly publicized recalls include:
- The Takata Air Bag Recall – Tens of Millions of vehicles have been affected by this recall. The airbag inflators may explode causing serious injury or death.
- The Chrysler Recalls – Millions of cars have been recalled because of several different defects that include Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM. One of the more serious recalls involves Jeep vehicles, which can rollaway while in the park position. Recently, it was reported that the Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin was killed by asphyxiation when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backward down a hill, pinning him between his car & the gate of his home.
The NHTSA reported that in 2014 there were close to 900 recalls affecting 51 million vehicles nationwide.
Automobile accidents aren’t always the fault of the driver. Sometimes they occur because of a malfunction or defective product on the car. If you’ve been injured in an auto accident then we are here to help. We have the experience needed to thoroughly investigate accidents and help you recover from your injuries. Contact our office at 478-238-9758. We’re available to answer questions free of charge with our initial consultation and charge no attorney fees until we win.