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Back to Podcast EpisodesSenators Call Out Amazon Over Used Cars With Open Safety Recalls
Online retail giant Amazon is under political heat after three US Senators raised alarm over used vehicles sold on Amazon Autos that still have open safety recalls. The lawmakers issued a formal letter to CEO Andrew R. Jassy, urging Amazon to pull affected listings from and improve transparency around vehicle safety. Selling new used cars with unrepaired recalls is legal in the United States, but whether it should be is something worth discussing.
Senators Demand Amazon Remove Listings That Pose Safety Risks
Senators Richard Blumenthal, Edward Markey, and Elizabeth Warren said they were "extremely troubled" by Amazon offering vehicles with unresolved recalls. In their December 22 letter, they warned that unrepaired defects pose life-threatening danger to drivers, passengers, and anyone sharing the road. They argue that Amazon should not expect customers to check recall status themselves through NHTSA and instead want all cars with active recalls to be taken down or, at a minimum, clearly labeled so buyers know exactly what they’re getting into.
A Year of Big Safety Recalls
Amazon Autos currently features select models from Hyundai and used inventory made available through Ford dealers. The senators pointed to listings such as the Ford Bronco and Hyundai Santa Fe, each having recalls that cover more than 100,000 vehicles. The Senate's letter also considers that Amazon Autos deals with used inventory from Ford dealers; therefore, it mentions another recall-plagued model, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe. The number of recalls gets even worse. Ford recently issued a recall affecting more than 200,000 vehicles over a faulty park module that could cause rollaway, and Hyundai issued a monstrous recall relating to more than half a million cars earlier this year. With recall figures like these, inventory can change faster than repairs are done, meaning buyers browsing online could easily come across vehicles with known faults.