Photo: Ford
Renting vehicles with open recalls – as in recalled vehicles that haven’t been fixed prior to being rented – was made illegal in 2016. Hertz allegedly did it anyway as per the Office of Defects Investigation.
The federal watchdog has opened an audit query to investigate whether Hertz has complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This piece of legislation, first enacted in 1966 when Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into law, prohibits companies with fleets that number at least 35 vehicles to rent unrepaired recalled vehicles. Back in 2016, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act expanded the NHTSA’s recall authority to cover rental companies as well.
Audit query AQ 22-003 lists Jeremy Gunderson as the investigator, Alexander Ansley as the reviewer, and Stephen Ridella as the approver. It also states that the federal watchdog is seeking additional information in regard to this problem after the NHTSA received information that Hertz rented unrepaired recall vehicles to an undisclosed number of customers.
The population of potentially affected vehicles also happens to be confidential, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency does mention three things: Nissan, Ford, and the vehicles owned by Hertz from 2018 through 2020. That’s a little strange given that the NHTSA also lists the 2018 model year Ford Explorer and 2018 to 2022 Nissan Altima.
To be frank, the NHTSA couldn’t have picked better vehicles. The 2018 model year Explorer has been recalled three times over a fuel pressure sensor that may leak fuel, an improperly assembled recliner mechanism that may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash, and shoddy retention pins that allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.
The 2018 to 2022 Altima is on a different level altogether. Back in September 2019, the Japanese automaker’s North American division called back a whopping 1,228,830 vehicles – including the Altima – over a backup camera software issue. Come May 2020, no fewer than 1,831,818 vehicles – including the Altima – were called back to address the unintentional release of the primary hood latch due to corrosion buildup.
Other notable recalls include a leaky fuel tube, brake lights that may remain illuminated, a fuel tank that may leak, tire failure caused by a production oversight attributed to Continental rather than Nissan, a rear window that may separate from the vehicle, and a tie rod ball joint that may detach due to a fastener that wasn’t tightened properly. In other words, you’re much better off with a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord.
Front-wheel drive as standard, but also available with all-wheel drive, the Altima is presently listed by Nissan at $25,290 excluding destination charge with up to 248 horsepower from the optional VC-Turbo engine. Over at Ford, the Dearborn-based automaker wants $36,760 at the very least for its mid-size crossover, which now rides on a rear-drive platform compared to the FWD platform of the 2018 model year Ford Explorer.
Audit query AQ 22-003 lists Jeremy Gunderson as the investigator, Alexander Ansley as the reviewer, and Stephen Ridella as the approver. It also states that the federal watchdog is seeking additional information in regard to this problem after the NHTSA received information that Hertz rented unrepaired recall vehicles to an undisclosed number of customers.
The population of potentially affected vehicles also happens to be confidential, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency does mention three things: Nissan, Ford, and the vehicles owned by Hertz from 2018 through 2020. That’s a little strange given that the NHTSA also lists the 2018 model year Ford Explorer and 2018 to 2022 Nissan Altima.
To be frank, the NHTSA couldn’t have picked better vehicles. The 2018 model year Explorer has been recalled three times over a fuel pressure sensor that may leak fuel, an improperly assembled recliner mechanism that may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash, and shoddy retention pins that allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.
The 2018 to 2022 Altima is on a different level altogether. Back in September 2019, the Japanese automaker’s North American division called back a whopping 1,228,830 vehicles – including the Altima – over a backup camera software issue. Come May 2020, no fewer than 1,831,818 vehicles – including the Altima – were called back to address the unintentional release of the primary hood latch due to corrosion buildup.
Other notable recalls include a leaky fuel tube, brake lights that may remain illuminated, a fuel tank that may leak, tire failure caused by a production oversight attributed to Continental rather than Nissan, a rear window that may separate from the vehicle, and a tie rod ball joint that may detach due to a fastener that wasn’t tightened properly. In other words, you’re much better off with a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord.
Front-wheel drive as standard, but also available with all-wheel drive, the Altima is presently listed by Nissan at $25,290 excluding destination charge with up to 248 horsepower from the optional VC-Turbo engine. Over at Ford, the Dearborn-based automaker wants $36,760 at the very least for its mid-size crossover, which now rides on a rear-drive platform compared to the FWD platform of the 2018 model year Ford Explorer.
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