AutoNation wonêt sell cars with open recalls; NADA protests
AutoNation has announced that it wonêt sell vehicles with open safety recalls. But NADA said in a statement, There is no evidence that a blanket grounding of all used vehicles with open recalls will make the roads or consumers any safer.
To the contrary NADA believes grounding the vehicles would immediately and severely depress the value of consumer trades with unremedied safety recalls. Sometimes the parts to repair the vehicles may be unavailable and so the dealer may be unable to do the repair quickly.
NADA had opposed an amendment introduced in July by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would have prohibited dealers from selling or leasing vehicles with open safety recalls. The association said the amendment would devalue trade-ins and cut down on consumer choice. Additionally, NADA said, by regulating dealer sales only, the law would encourage individuals to sell their vehicles privately, making it less likely that they would get needed safety repairs.
Sen. Blumenthal praised AutoNationês action. But it was criticized in Automotive News by news editor James Treece. The main problem, Treece wrote, is that some recalls present bigger safety concerns than others, and AutoNationês action doesnêt distinguish among them. He said recalls should be categorized by the level of safety issue.
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