NHTSA Complaint #11678806 — 2024 JEEP COMPASS

On [XXX], a rental vehicle issued by Enterprise was stopped due to an expired North Carolina license plate [XXX] ) and a defective taillight. The expired plate was physically affixed to the Jeep Compass at the time of rental, yet Enterprise’s rental receipt showed a different plate number [XXX] ). This discrepancy was never disclosed before the stop and was repeatedly denied by Enterprise staff for months. Multiple Enterprise representatives—including the branch manager where the vehicle was rented—insisted the Jeep had “only ever” had the [XXX] plate in their system, despite the North Carolina plate being listed on the signed rental agreement and cited by law enforcement. Later, Enterprise claimed the vehicle was re-registered in another state after impound, which altered internal records. This retroactive change created a misleading paper trail that misrepresented the actual tag on the vehicle during the rental period. The expired plate and defective taillight directly triggered a law-enforcement stop, exposing the authorized driver to legal risk, arrest, and vehicle seizure. This unsafe condition should have been identified and corrected before releasing the vehicle, per standard fleet-safety procedures. After impound, personal property left in the vehicle—including electronics—was denied by Enterprise staff as ever existing, despite multiple third-party witnesses confirming its presence. One electronic item was later tracked via GPS to a private residence unrelated to any Enterprise location, after which it was abruptly “found.” Other property remains missing. failure to ensure vehicle roadworthiness, improper record-keeping that concealed the true plate assignment, and mishandling of customer property after impound. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)