- Amazon’s listings include certified cars with unresolved fire risks.
- Senators say recall info should appear directly in vehicle listings.
- A proposed bill would ban selling used cars with open recalls.
Buying a car online used to be a novelty. Now it’s business as usual. Not only can you order new vehicles from Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, and Mazda through Amazon, but the retail giant has also become a hub for used car listings from dealerships across the country.
Read: Ford’s Selling Used Cars On Amazon Now
Thousands of pre-owned vehicles from brands like GMC, Ford, and Honda are now just a few clicks away on Amazon Autos, streamlining the process for buyers. But not everyone is on board. A group of U.S. senators is calling on Amazon to halt the sale of used vehicles with unresolved safety recalls, raising concerns about consumer protection on the growing platform.
Are Unsafe Cars Slipping Through?
In a letter addressed to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Senators Richard Blumenthal, Edward Markey, and Elizabeth Warren singled out certified pre-owned vehicles sold by Ford dealers on Amazon’s site. Their main concern is that Amazon doesn’t clearly disclose whether a listed vehicle has open recalls, leaving potential buyers in the dark about important safety issues.
The senators cited a 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands that appeared on the site despite two outstanding recalls, one of which involves a risk of engine stalling. They also flagged a certified pre-owned 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Unlimited Rubicon, which had not been repaired for a known fire hazard.
Push for Disclosure
“We call on Amazon to immediately stop listing for sale on Amazon Autos any vehicle with an unrepaired safety recall,”the senators wrote. “In addition, Amazon should make it as easy as possible for people to confirm that the vehicle they are looking at does not have unrepaired recalls. Instead of linking to NHTSA’s website and encouraging people to check the recall status themselves, we urge Amazon to prominently display the status of recalls under the key features it lists for vehicles it is selling.”
It’s worth noting that car dealerships themselves post listings on Amazon Autos, just like they would on other popular sites like AutoTrader, so this isn’t just an issue impacting Amazon. The same three senators are currently behind the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, a proposed bill that would prohibit dealers from selling used cars with unresolved safety recalls.
According to the senators, Amazon doesn’t need to wait for the bill to pass before acting. They believe the company could voluntarily impose recall restrictions on listings right now. Whether the letter prompts any immediate changes remains uncertain, but the pressure on Amazon is building.
