The LAW Prohibits Tampering and Inaccurate Odometer Disclosures

Posted by Karl O. Heil

August 1, 2008

by Karl O. Heil

Automobile buyers really depend on the information about a vehicle’s mileage in order to determine the vehicle’s value and condition. So accurate disclosure and mileage readings are essential in order to figure out the vehicle’s condition and its value.

For these reasons, state and federal law prohibit not only odometer tampering, but also inaccurate odometer disclosures. Under federal law, a seller is required to provide an odometer disclosure statement certifying that:

(a) the odometer reflects the actual mileage,

(b) the odometer reflects the amount of miles beyond the mechanical limit of the odometer, or

Other than modifying the odometer by rolling back the display, shady used vehicle dealers also ignore evidence of fraud or tampering. Sometimes, the odometer readings that have been recorded in the repair records of the vehicle are inconsistent.

One example would be where the mileage drops during one calendar year. That’s pretty much a give away that something is going on. In other cases, the seller may notice that the odometer has been tampered with by seeing missing screws or scratch marks on the odometer casing.

Evidence like this should put the seller on alert and start an investigation into the vehicle’s history to check on the odometer readings. If the seller fails to investigate this than he is not certifying that the odometer is reflecting the actual mileage.

Buyers who are worried about potential inaccurate readings should check with commercial organizations such as Carfax they can collect background information on the vehicle’s history. These types of reports are not always complete, so another option is to take your card to a grudge, which specializes in checking used cars.

If it turns out that the vehicle seller does alter the odometer. Or that they do not provide accurate disclosures, they should know that they are putting their business at risk, because federal law has severe penalties for businesses that violate the odometer laws. It’s important to note though, that the laws regarding this only cover vehicles less than 11 years old.

About the Author:

Karl O. Heil is a leading professional on Lemon Law litigation At Romano, Stancroff & Mikhov PC. For top results you need lemon law attorneys. southern California has unique laws. Getting lemon law lawyers in southern California is like cash in the bank

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.