— The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating if the Hertz Corporation repaired recalled vehicles before those autos were rented to consumers.
NHTSA didn't release many details about the investigation, but the government says it has evidence Hertz failed to repair vehicles that were recalled.
The U.S. National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act requires a rental company to have repairs performed on vehicles that have been recalled or else it is illegal to rent those vehicles.
Specifically, Section 49 U.S.C. § 30120(i) says a rental company means a "person who—(A) is engaged in the business of renting covered rental vehicles; and (B) uses for rental purposes a motor vehicle fleet of 35 or more covered rental vehicles, on average, during the calendar year."
And a covered rental vehicle means a "motor vehicle that—(A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less; (B) is rented without a driver for an initial term of less than 4 months; and (C) is part of a motor vehicle fleet of 35 or more motor vehicles that are used for rental purposes by a rental company."
Specific vehicles are mentioned by NHTSA, including 2018 Ford Explorers and 2018-2022 Nissan Altimas. However, the investigation involves all vehicles owned by the Hertz Corporation.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the federal Hertz investigation.