Senators 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.

Lawmakers Push for Immediate Action and Future Legislation

The senators point out that new vehicles can’t legally be sold if they have unaddressed recalls, but no such rule exists for used cars. Their proposed Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act (S.2956) seeks to close that loophole. The Senate’s support for prioritising car buyers doesn’t stop there either. Recently, they noted growing concern over whether advanced driver assists are necessary considering it’s a factor behind why the average new car price edged past the $50,000 mark. While legislation progresses, the trio of senators believe Amazon should act voluntarily by displaying recall status prominently instead of redirecting shoppers to federal databases. Amazon has not yet responded to the letter.