According to Carfax, 2.1 million vehicles available for sale online last year had an unaddressed recall issue. Given this potential safety threat, many people might instead opt to purchase their vehicle in person as has been the tradition for years. But buying from a car lot does not guarantee that a vehicle hasn’t been recalled.
This past February, a Sacramento news team ran an undercover investigation to get to the bottom of the issue. What they found was disheartening. By looking into three lots in the Sacramento area, the team was able to ascertain that at least 12 cars available for sale had not been fixed properly to address a recall.
Lawmakers have taken notice. A bill seeking to prevent this sort of behavior among dealers was introduced in the Assembly and the Senate, and the measure has gained initial traction. Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard from a woman who was reportedly involved in a crash shortly after the purchase of a vehicle that had not its recall-related issue fixed.
The Committee apparently took her testimony to heart, as they gave their approval for the bill to proceed onward. The California New Car Dealers Association, though, worries about a paucity of available recall information and thinks the measure would leave dealers open to liability.
The next time you purchase a vehicle, conduct appropriate research to figure out if the automobile may have been affected by a recall and whether or not the issue was ever fixed.