NHTSA audits a rental company over cars rented with open recalls
Since 2016 federal law bars larger rental fleets from renting cars with open safety recalls. Two renters' complaints started this audit. Audit queries rarely end in a recall.
What NHTSA is examining
In June 2026 NHTSA opened an audit query, AQ26-001, into a rental company alleged to have rented out a 2021 Ford Expedition and a 2025 Hyundai Palisade before their open safety recalls had been repaired (NHTSA opening resume, AQ26-001). The query was opened after two renters filed complaints with the agency.
Since June 1, 2016, the FAST Act has barred rental companies with more than 35 vehicles from renting out a vehicle with an open safety recall until it is repaired. NHTSA enforces that rule, and an audit query is how it checks whether a company met an obligation like this one.
What the record shows
An audit query is not a defect investigation. The vehicles are already recalled; the question is what the company did with them. In the federal investigation file, none of the 27 audit queries closed since 2010 lists a recall, and the median one took more than two years to close. What they can produce is a civil penalty, and a record that other fleets read.
The complaint file shows why renters are the ones who notice. About 400 Ford and Toyota complaints, as the file stood on September 21, 2026, mention a recall together with buying a car used or a seller who did not disclose it. Federal law covers rental fleets and new-car dealers; it does not bar the sale of a used car with an open recall. A renter who checks the VIN is, in practice, the enforcement this rule relies on, which is what happened here.
What could happen next
The audit can close with no action, with an agreement on how the company handles recalled cars, or with a penalty. Our guide to how NHTSA investigations work explains audit queries, and How to check if your car has an open recall explains the VIN lookup, which works on a rental car too. The 2021 Expedition page carries that year's recalls.
What this page cannot tell you
Which company is involved, beyond what NHTSA's resume states, or whether the allegation will be upheld. The complaint counts are ours and describe owners' reports.
The vehicles this covers
Sources
This piece reads recall, complaints, investigation, NHTSA opening resume AQ26001, FAST Act rental car provision. Investigation AQ26001. How every figure on this site is counted is set out on the methodology page. Whether a particular car is affected by a recall depends on its VIN.
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