Used Car Shopping: Avoiding Recalled Cars Just Got Easier

Used Car ShoppingNYC Makes Used Car Shopping Safer

Driving in New York City is known to freak out even experienced drivers, but used car shoppers now have a good reason to cross city limits: a law that recalled cars have to have their safety defect fixed before being offered for sale.

It may surprise and alarm used car buyers that neither used-car dealers nor rental car companies are required to repair recalled vehicles with safety defects.

Used Car Shopping
Used car shopping in NYC is now safer.

In 2014, there have been so many recalls that consumers may find it hard to keep up, but the loophole that allowed dealers to sell recalled used cars without having them fixed first will no longer be permitted in the city. And who among us has checked to see that the car she rented on vacation has been recalled?

As reported in the NY Times, used car dealers (like consumers) don’t even have to pay for the repairs to used cars when they are recalled for a safety defect, but the dealers say they lose time, and therefore money, if they have to bring cars in for repairs before selling them.

Car owners should follow recalls of the model and make of their vehicles; whether you purchased it new or used, you can get it fixed free if it is recalled for a safety defect.

Have you purchased a used car that was then recalled? Share your experience in the comments section below.

Judy Antell
Judy Antell

Judy Antell, who is TravelingMom.com's Free in 50 States editor, lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with her husband and three daughters. Between road trips to visit colleges, travel sports and seeing East Coast sights, she spends a lot of time on the road for a city girl.

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