The U.S. Public Interest Research Group just released a scathing report that claims that AutoNation, one of the country’s largest used vehicle retail chains, is actively selling used vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls.
Research Findings
The public interest group examined 2,400 used vehicles across 28 AutoNation locations across the country. It found that one out of every nine vehicles had safety recall issues. Some of the problems were linked to fatalities and injuries.
Nationwide Problem
The problem with selling vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls is not limited to one location or one business. Across used car lots are vehicles with ongoing safety recalls, such as:
- Defective Takata airbags that are known to explode and produce shrapnel in the event of a crash
- General Motors ignition switches that prevented airbags from deploying in case of an accident, which resulted in hundreds of fatalities and injuries
- Steering malfunctions
- Seatbelt problems that could jeopardize the safety of drivers and passengers
Some dealers refuse to sell these vehicles and say that they are unable to get parts to properly repair them. Others continue to sell the vehicles with defective parts and say that they give consumers a disclosure about the safety recall.
History of AutoNation’s Policy on Selling Vehicles with Unrepaired Safety Recalls
In 2015, AutoNation publicly announced that is would cease selling used or new vehicles that had open safety recalls. The CEO of the business at the time said that the company would prioritize customer safety. However, it changed course in 2016 and began selling vehicles that had active recalls issued on them, citing that the Trump Administration would not address the problem from a regulatory viewpoint.
AutoNation reports that it repairs the vehicles with active safety recalls if it has the parts to do so or that it holds the vehicles if the manufacturer instructs it to do so. If it sells a vehicle that was not repaired, AutoNation says that it provides full disclosure to the purchaser. It further asserts that it abides by all laws and regulations pertaining to safety recalls and that it does not try to mislead consumers in any way regarding the purchase of a vehicle with an open safety recall.
Legislative Change
A Democratic Senator is proposing new legislation that would make it illegal to sell a used vehicle with an unrepaired defect. He believes that a disclosure is not sufficient and places the buyer, passengers and other motorists at risk for injury.
