FleetWeek

Washington, D.C. has begun enforcing a new law that prohibits non-local leasing companies from titling vehicles in the District. 

The rule states that leasing companies based outside of the District of Columbia – including Wheels – can still obtain D.C. license plates, but only after showing proof that the vehicle is titled elsewhere.

To help accommodate the new law and minimize any registration delays it may entail, Wheels has started titling all new Washington, D.C. vehicles in Michigan, which has historically had a very fast turnaround rate for vehicle titles.  Once such vehicles are titled in Michigan, we will follow procedures to obtain Washington, D.C. license plates as quickly as possible.

Please note that existing vehicles transferring into D.C. will remain titled in their previous state, and Wheels will apply for D.C. license plates and registration materials for such vehicles as appropriate.

Wheels continues to work with the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the American Automotive Leasing Association (AALA) to determine additional steps that may be taken to minimize the new law’s impact on the registration process and timeframes.

If you have any questions about how the new law will apply to the vehicles in your fleet, please contact a member of your account team.

Please keep in mind that odometer disclosure statements are available to review and submit online. You will find the statements in the FleetView section Reporting & Analysis: Dashboard: Approvals where you can review and edit or approve odometer disclosure statements for sold vehicles.

The report entitled Odometer Disclosure in the Reporting & Analysis: Reports: Expenses section allows you to view any online disclosures which you have edited, approved, or not yet reviewed within any date range you wish. The approval tool lets you drill down to the detail behind each record as desired.

Please note that these statements are required by law to accompany sold vehicles. If you have any questions, please contact a member of your account team.

Ford is recalling more than 140,000 2012 Ford Focus vehicles due to concerns over faulty windshield wiper motor wiring.

A summary of the recall published through the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said that, on affected vehicles, “a seal in the wiring harness connector to the passenger side wiper motor may be missing.  Water or other contaminants may accumulate in the connector, resulting in an intermittent or inoperative passenger side wiper motor, reducing visibility.”

Each driver affected by the recall will receive an official recall notice, and can have his or her vehicle inspected and/or repaired at a certified dealership free of charge.  Any 2012 Ford Focus drivers whose windshield wipers are currently malfunctioning should have their vehicles serviced immediately.

Additional information on recalls is available at the NHTSA website at http://www.nhtsa.gov/. Please keep in mind that NHTSA now offers an e-mail notification service through which users can receive automatic recall updates for their vehicles.  Those who wish to register for the notification service can do so here.