Report: Rental car companies 'routinely' letting recalled vehicles on the streets [w/ video]

We don't typically think of rental cars as the most well-loved vehicles on the planet, but we do expect them to be well maintained and reasonably safe. According to findings from a recent lawsuit against Enterprise, that may not always be true. In a case involving the death of two California women who were killed after their rental Chrysler PT Cruiser caught fire and struck an oncoming semi. Enterprise admitted that it routinely rents out vehicles that are under recall and haven't been repaired. The PT Cruiser was one of those vehicles.

In September of 2004, Chrysler issued a recall for the car. In certain instances, the vehicle's power steering unit could leak, causing an engine fire. Enterprise continued to rent the vehicle for a full month after receiving the recall notice before Raechel Houck, 24, and her sister, Jacquie, 20 rented the vehicle for a trip to visit their parents.

In further testimony, it was revealed that Enterprise routinely rents out vehicles under recall, and that the company has no standing policy against doing so. ABC News also indicates that other major companies like Hertz and Avis conduct themselves similarly.

In the case of the PT Cruiser, a jury awarded the womens' parents a $15 million settlement. Click past the jump to watch the ABC News video report.

[Source: ABC News]

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