WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced recently that it is investigating how adequately rental car companies conducted proper fixes on a slew of recalled models from Big 3 automakers before renting out the vehicles.
More specifically, the agency is looking at rental companies’ work on 29 different models that were recalled by Ford, Chrysler or General Motors. The model years of the vehicles range as far back as 2001 all the way to 2010.
“The agency, particularly in recent months, has been informed of incidents involving allegations of personal injury and death claimed to have been caused by safety defects and failures to conform to minimum Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards on rental car vehicles for which a safety recall to remedy the safety defect or noncompliance had allegedly not been performed prior to the rental car company’s lease of the vehicle,” NHTSA said on its website.
“NHTSA understands that there is presently a petition before the Federal Trade Commission seeking to prohibit at least one rental car company from renting vehicles on which safety recall campaign remedies remain outstanding,” it added.
NHTSA said it hopes the audit query can provide a picture of “how completely and how quickly” the appropriate work was completed by rental companies on the vehicles. 
“These campaigns were chosen due to their inclusion of vehicles used in the rental market,” the agency stated. “This information is expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets, in general or individually, perform necessary recall-related repairs or other remedies on the vehicles owned and then leased for use on the roadways.”
NHTSA is looking at how the rental companies responded to recalls on the following models:
2009 Buick Enclave
2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
2009 Chevrolet Malibu
2009 Chevrolet Traverse
2005-2006 Chrysler Pacifica
2007-2008 Chrysler Sebring
2005-2006 Chrysler Town & Country
2007-2008 Dodge Avenger  
2005-2006 Dodge Caravan

2005-2006 Dodge Durango

2005-2006 Dodge Grand Caravan
2007 Dodge Nitro
2001-2005 Ford Escape
2010 Ford Explorer
2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
2000-2005 Ford Focus
2010 Ford Fusion
2005-2008 Ford Mustang
2009 GMC Acadia
2006-2007 Jeep Commander
2006-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2006-2007 Jeep Liberty
2007 Jeep Wrangler
2010 Mercury Milan
2010 Mercury Moutaineer
2009 Pontiac G5
2009 Pontiac G6
2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe
2009 Saturn Aura