US Senator Bans Amazon from Selling Used Cars with Recall Status

JAKARTA - Buying a car online, which was once considered a new thing, has now become a common practice. Consumers can not only order new vehicles from various brands through Amazon, but the retail giant is also emerging as a large showcase of used cars from dealers across the United States.

Through the Amazon Autos service, thousands of used cars from brands such as GMC, Ford, and Honda are all available. The process is indeed more concise, but behind the ease there are serious concerns.

A number of United States senators urged Amazon to stop selling used cars that still have safety-related recall cases that have not been addressed. Up to giving an official letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Senators Richard Blumenthal, Edward Markey, and Elizabeth Warren highlighted the practice of selling certified used vehicles by Ford dealers on the platform. They assessed that Amazon had not transparently revealed the status of active recalls on the vehicles offered, potentially misleading consumers.

For example, the senators mentioned the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands listed on the Amazon site even though it still has two open recalls, one of which is related to the risk of sudden engine shutdown. In addition, there is also a certified used 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Unlimited Rubicon that has not been repaired from potential fire hazards.

"We urge Amazon to immediately stop selling any vehicle that has an unfixed safety recall on Amazon Autos," the senators wrote, as reported by Carscoops, Tuesday, January 6.

"In addition, Amazon should make it easier for people to ensure that the vehicles they see do not have unrepaired recalls. Instead of linking to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website and encouraging people to check the recall status themselves," the statement continued.

His party urges Amazon to clearly display the recall status under the main features listed for the vehicles it sells. The senators also reminded that vehicle ads on Amazon Autos are basically installed by dealers, similar to practices on other platforms such as AutoTrader.

This means that this issue is not entirely exclusive to Amazon. Even so, the three of them are currently also pushing for the enactment of the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, a draft law that will prohibit dealers from selling used cars with safety recalls that have not been completed.

According to them, Amazon does not really need to wait for the law to be passed. The company is considered to be able to take voluntary steps by limiting or blocking the sale of vehicles that still have safety problems.