The Takata airbag recall has been the largest automotive recall in history. Worldwide, there have been 23 deaths and hundreds of injuries that have been blamed on the defective airbags. They can explode with too much force, sending deadly shrapnel flying through the vehicle. There have been millions of vehicles recalled so far with millions more still to come. Most dealerships are offering free repairs of the defective airbags, along with free rental vehicles while the repairs are being completed. Unfortunately, many used car dealerships are trying to get around selling vehicles with the deadly airbags by passing legislation, as USA Today reports.
For auto dealers that sold vehicles with active recalls, the string of accidents led to lawsuits being filed against them for selling recalled used vehicles without fixing the defects first.
So, auto dealers came up with an idea to circumvent the problem: they drafted legislation that allowed them to sell the vehicles provided they disclose the open recall in the mountain of paperwork for the sale.
The legislation has been introduced in 11 states so far, with the legislation being passed in Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and New York are still considering the measures.
In states where the bills are being considered, auto dealers will only have a bare minimum of responsibility when it comes to the selling of recalled vehicles. They will only need to disclose that the vehicle has an open recall rather than repairing the vehicles. The disclosure can be hidden in the paperwork that buyers must complete when purchasing the vehicle.
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