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I鈥檝e rented a car just twice in my life 鈥� both times for out-of-town weddings, when I couldn鈥檛 risk anything going wrong with my venerable Ford Explorer. But by renting, I was taking a risk I didn鈥檛 even know about.

Did you know it鈥檚 legal for rental car companies to keep using cars that are under a safety recall? And even sell them without informing consumers of the defects?

An MSNBC report last week described the practice as 鈥渞ental car roulette鈥� and quotes Consumers Union representative David Butler about unrepaired recall incidents where 鈥渢here have been real problems, accidents, and even in a few isolated cases, deaths.鈥�

Two senators have proposed a law to ban the practice, but it鈥檚 been sitting in Congress doing nothing for almost a year. More recently, Sen. Barbara Boxer asked the four major rental car companies to take this pledge: 鈥淓ffective immediately, our company is making a permanent commitment to not rent or sell any vehicles under safety recall until the defect has been remedied.鈥�

According to MSNBC, only one of the four (Hertz) agreed, while the others released various statements either denying they rented recalls or making safety assurances.

Safety is obviously the No. 1 concern, but most renters are also concerned about all the ways you can be nickel-and-dimed. Here鈥檚 how to rent safer wheels with the best deals鈥�

1. Check for recall models

At SaferCar.gov, you can look up safety recalls by year, make, model, or time frame and avoid renting a model that might have some vehicles under recall. You could also ask someone at the rental car center, or stick to the companies who claim to keep unfixed recalls off the road.

Even if the model you鈥檙e looking at isn鈥檛 under recall, car safety ratings vary a lot. You can look up safety ratings and top safety picks at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

2. Skip the extras

Don鈥檛 accept or use goodies like a GPS, electronic tollbooth passes, satellite radio, or safety seats without knowing what they cost. You can save a lot by bringing your own 鈥� if renting a GPS costs $12 a day and you can outright buy a similar one for $100, just over a week of renting would pay for it.

3. Understand all the fees

Renting from an airport location, returning the car late, failing to fill up the tank, and dropping it off at a different location can all lead to extra fees. Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson once made that last mistake 鈥� and paid $75 for it. 鈥淲hich was more than it cost to rent the car,鈥� he says.

4. Think before buying extra fuel

You might think it鈥檚 frugal to avoid a fuel surcharge (as much as $8 per gallon, according to Consumer Reports) by taking the seemingly generous offer to start you out with a full tank at, or even sometimes below, the local going rate. The catch is you have to buy the full tank鈥檚 worth, even if you only plan to use a few gallons. Plan your trip route and know the car鈥檚 mileage rate before considering this option.

5. Don鈥檛 get upsold

Many people don鈥檛 need to pay for rental car damage waiver coverage because their existing car insurance or credit card covers it. Check your policies and you can save up to $30 a day.

And unless you鈥檙e renting for business or carrying a lot of people/cargo, there鈥檚 nothing wrong with staying in the cheaper, smaller classes of cars. They鈥檙e easy to drive and park and get better mileage.

You don鈥檛 have to cram yourself into a subcompact 鈥� the difference between compact and full-size might be under $5 a day. It鈥檚 when you start looking at trucks, SUVs, and luxury cars that you see prices really jump to double or more.

6. Ask about discounts

Look into discounts through your employer, professional organization, AAA, AARP, and pretty much anything else you鈥檙e a member of. You can find a long list of car rental membership discount codes聽online. Especially if you鈥檙e renting for multiple days, 10 to 15 percent off is nothing to sneeze at. Don鈥檛 have any memberships? Chances are there鈥檚 still a discount coupon: Ask your favorite search engine.

7. Protect yourself

Paying for your rental with a credit card allows you to dispute mistaken charges later. Taking before-and-after photos and documenting existing damage to a vehicle can limit the risk of phony damage claims. If you鈥檙e offered a vehicle with too many scratches and dings to keep track of, ask for a different one in the same price range. Keep all your paperwork and receipts (including gas) for at least a few months. Take this seriously 鈥� damage claims can cost hundreds.

Brandon Ballenger is a writer for聽Money Talks News, a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities as well as around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.