Avis Budget removes Ford Focus sedans from fleets

Avis Budget Group has announced that it is immediately taking steps to remove from its rental fleet in Canada, the US and Puerto Rico approximately 10,000 model-year 2012 Ford Focus sedans following receipt of a safety recall notice from the manufacturer relating to a potential problem with windshield wiper motors. After identifying the affected vehicles within the Avis Budget fleet by Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) provided by the manufacturer, the company has placed these cars on “hard hold”in its reservations system, which prevents the vehicles from being rented. Customers with affected vehicles currently on rent may bring the cars to a nearby Avis or Budget location, depending upon which brand the vehicle was rented from, to exchange the vehicle, although customers are not required to do so. The problem does not affect all 2012 Ford Focus sedans, only certain models manufactured at one Ford factory. With a fleet of approximately 300,000 vehicles in North America, the company expects that removing these vehicles will cause no disruption in customer service and all existing reservations can be fulfilled as usual. (http://www.avisbudgetgroup.com)