New legislation finally forces car hire companies to stop hiring out vehicles that are unfit for purpose in the U.S.

There has been an on-going battle between the major car hire companies and everyday consumers for quite some time with regards to companies hiring out vehicles which require repair of that have been previously recalled.

The new legislation states that the rental companies must refrain from hiring out vehicles no more than 24 hours after receiving an official recall notice, unless the notice affects more than 5,000 cars within the garage and then this grace period extends to 48 hours. This is a great step forward as until now rental companies haven't been this closely audited and consumers have often had to bear the cost for any failures which occur during their rental period. In some cases, this had led to customers paying for the repair of such components as clutches, brakes and gear boxes which almost certainly malfunction through no fault of the user.

This change in legislation will also give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of America the power to carry out spot checks on rental companies and their procedures, practices and programs.This  means that companies like Enterprise, Alamo, Hertz and Budget no longer have anywhere to hide when it comes to hire car maintenance.

Remember, if you are hiring in the USA or Canada make sure you buy your iCarhireinsurance Excess Cover before you fly to ensure your hire car is covered!

Disclaimer: All prices contained in this article were correct on the original date of publication. Prices may change over time, so for current prices, please get a quote.