A federal safety investigation opened this month is drawing attention to a rental car company that some Hawaii travelers may know primarily for being a lower-priced option. NU Car Rentals serves travelers across Kauai, Maui, and Oahu, which is why this is not merely a mainland rental car story.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened investigation AQ26001 on June 9, 2026. The case involves NU Car Rentals and vehicles with open safety recalls, and remains open. It is attached below. This is a preliminary evaluation is the earliest stage of an NHTSA investigation. The takeaway for Hawaii visitors isn’t to panic but to simply perform a brief check before driving away on the islands. Add this to your vacation checklist.
What NHTSA is checking.
NHTSA is examining whether vehicles with open safety recalls were rented by NU Car Rentals. The agency has not reached a public conclusion in this case, so the investigation remains unresolved. What we can say is that NU operates here in Hawaii and is under federal investigation, but public records do not indicate that any specific vehicle was rented in Hawaii with an open recall.
The Hawaii connection is the company’s island footprint. NU serves travelers on Kauai, Maui, and Oahu through an off-airport, shuttle-based model rather than on-airport rental counters.
Why car rental recalls are now different.
The Rental Car Safety Recall Law prohibits rental companies with fleets of more than 35 vehicles from renting vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls. That law gave NHTSA recall authority over rental car companies for the first time. The agency has the power to investigate rental recall practices and penalize violations when appropriate.
The rule commonly means a recalled vehicle must be removed from rental availability within a short window after the company receives notice. The repair itself isn’t optional for the customer, and the vehicle is supposed to stay out of the rental pool until the safety recall gets addressed.
Hawaii travelers should check too.
Hawaii rental car prices have led many visitors to look harder for cheaper cars. When rates rise as they have here across the major brands, budget and off-airport operators can look more attractive, especially for longer stays or those already stretched by airfare and lodging.
Figuring this out doesn’t require guessing or trusting a rental counter agent. It takes about a minute, and it works for any rental car from any company.
We’ve been down this path before.
NHTSA has looked at car rental recall practices before. In 2022, another investigation followed a Hertz vehicle fire involving a Ford Expedition under a battery-junction-box recall, with no injuries reported. And just this week, we wrote about a recall impacting Hawaii jeep car rentals. The law came in part as a result of two sisters who died in 2004 while driving an unrepaired, recalled rental car.
How to check your Hawaii rental car.
Before leaving the lot, find the car’s 17-character VIN. It is usually visible through the lower-left windshield, and it can also be found on the driver-side doorjamb label.
Go to NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter that VIN. If the car is clear, the site returns “0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN.” If an open recall appears, do not drive the vehicle. Return to the counter, show the result, and ask for a different car.
Should you need to report a vehicle safety problem, NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline is 888-327-4236.
Cheap is good, to a point.
A lower rental rate can help make a trip to Hawaii work, especially since the rest of the trip is already expensive. But cheap should not mean skipping this new basic safety check that’s free, fast, and available to every Hawaii car renter.
The NU investigation is open and unresolved. Until NHTSA reaches a conclusion, and even after that, the smartest move is the one travelers can make themselves before pulling any Hawaii car rental onto the road.
Have you rented from NU, or would you consider them? Please let us know in the comments.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
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Been to Kauai over 20 times. A few months ago I rented a car from Nu on Kauai for my 1st time. I thought they were great! I had a nice Nissan in great shape and it was about $30/day. Much friendlier, more responsive, no waiting in lines, quick shuttle to/from airport. And locally owned, island vibe. No complaints whatsoever. Don’t even get me started on Budget or Dollar and well, Rent a Wreck is exactly what it sounds like. And all are more expensive. Hopefully, Nu Car Rentals gets the bugs taken care of and weathers this storm.
Rebecca N
IMO this should be the rental car facility responsibility and not the rental customer. File a complaint with the NTSA about the vehicle having a recall and that you just rented it. How do you know the rental company will not just pass it on to the next customer. I think a national news channel posted a jeep rental electric vehicle catching on fire with the lithium battery being exposed to hot outdoor temperatures after someone rented it in Hawaii. This is the same situation Hawaii expects a visitor to do if he unknowingly rents a illegal STR property. Business owners should be accountable and responsible for honest business practices and not making the tourist or visitor the narc or police. What if the non fixed recall made the rental person loose control and hit some sea turtle or monk seal? Did the rental company ever think of thqt?
I rented a pickup the last time in Hawaii to dump a few things. I rented through Turo, and right after renting, the owner quipped that the truck was banned right after my rental because there is an active recall that came through while I was renting it. It didn’t affect my rental.