A survey by three client advocacy teams of used autos supplied on the market by means of the biggest vehicle retailer within the nation has discovered widespread cases of unaddressed security recollects.
The survey turned up faulty airbags, defective ignition switches and different probably lethal issues. One of each 9 used autos had an unaddressed security recall, in response to the examination of greater than 2,400 for-sale listings at dealerships underneath the umbrella of AutoNation.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, firm payments itself as “America’s Largest Auto Retailer,” with 360 franchises in 16 states. The survey reviewed listings at 28 AutoNation places in 16 metro areas, together with Chicago.
Of 2,429 autos surveyed, 285 had unrepaired recollects — together with 10 autos at AutoNation places in Des Plaines and Libertyville. And 14 used vehicles that had been labeled “certified” had been nonetheless discovered to have open security recollects.
The overview was carried out in July and August by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s Education Fund, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety Foundation and the Frontier Group.
The findings mirror a Chicago Sun-Times investigation in February that discovered used vehicles being supplied on the market within the Chicago space regardless of open recollects for security issues together with defective airbags, sudden acceleration, detaching sunroofs and faulty ignition switches.
An AutoNation spokesman mentioned “the suggestion … that AutoNation is knowingly or deliberately seeking to mislead consumers is entirely unfounded.”
There’s no federal legislation requiring sellers to repair recollects earlier than promoting autos.
Since 1966, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued recollects for greater than 390 million autos due to security considerations. Carfax, the vehicle-history service, estimates that greater than 57 million autos on the street at this time have open, unaddressed recollects.
In 2015, AutoNation mentioned it will cease promoting used vehicles with open recollects. But the corporate rescinded that promise a 12 months and a half later, saying it had struggled to search out sufficient elements to handle the huge Takata airbag recall.
Marc Cannon, government vice chairman of AutoNation, mentioned “the overwhelming majority” of the corporate’s used autos going through recollects are fastened earlier than they’re supplied on the market. Cannon mentioned salespeople are educated to inform clients about open recollects, together with letting them know when elements are unavailable.
But Cannon mentioned that, even when persons are supplied one other automobile, “overwhelmingly, the customer will say, ‘No, I want this vehicle.’ ”
CarMax additionally doesn’t require security recollects to be addressed earlier than its vehicles are bought, although it says its salespeople are required to test for recollects and share that info with clients to allow them to go to a licensed supplier, the place repairs will likely be made without spending a dime.
