# 119-s-2956: Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act

119-s-2956, Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2956
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2956
- Congress: 119
- Title: Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Stops dealers from selling used cars with open safety recalls.** This bill would define "used motor vehicle" as a vehicle previously purchased not for resale, create a dealer reimbursement system when manufacturers delay fixes, and take effect one year after enactment. - Consumers: Buyers of used cars would get stronger protection from open recalls because the law targets vehicles previously purchased not for resale and bars many dealer sales until recalls are addressed. - Dealers: Dealers would generally be prohibited from selling, leasing, or loaning a used vehicle until its recall defect is remedied. Exceptions cover sales when recall information was not available, certain court actions, wholesale sales, and junk automobiles reported to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. - Manufacturers: If a manufacturer has not made a remedy available within the 60-day window tied to its safety notice, a dealer in possession would be reimbursed. Reimbursement must be at least 1 percent of the vehicle's fair market value per month, prorated daily, and cannot exceed the vehicle's fair market value.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-10-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-10-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Manufacturers pay dealers when fixes delayed: benefit, high. If enacted, manufacturers would have to pay dealers when a recall fix for a used car is not available. Payments would start 60 days after the manufacturer sets the recall date. The minimum pay would be 1% of the car's fair market value per month, prorated by day. Payments stop when the fix is avail…
- New dealer rules for recalled used cars: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar dealers from selling, leasing, or loaning used cars that have recall remedies open until the problem is fixed. A 'dealer' would be someone who sold at least five cars in the prior year to buyers who did not intend to resell them. Exceptions include wholesale sales, ju…
- New rules start one year later: mixed, low. If enacted, this bill and its changes would take effect one year after the date of enactment. Dealers, manufacturers, and buyers would not have to follow the new rules until then.

## Related bills

- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2956 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2956)

## Related
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2956 (as of 2026-09-10).