Does a dealer have to tell you if a vehicle has been in an accident even if it does not have a salvaged or rebuilt title? Are they legally obligated to tell this info if they are asked?

 

The law varies from state to state. For a 'totaled' or salvaged vehicle, some motor vehicle agencies stamp the title 'salvage', however, it is possible to get a 'clean title' by going to a state which doesn't have a 'salvage' class, and then retitling it in your home state - bingo - clean title. I don't know which states are involved off the top of my head, but I do know it's possible...

Some states also require disclosure of a 'repurchased' vehicle - one that the manufacturer had to take back as a result of a Lemon Law suit. Note that last word is 'suit' - if the vehicle is taken by arbitration agreement, sometimes they don't have to disclose that.

Finally, I'm not clear on whether or not dealers must disclose accident history of vehicles. I've not heard they must ...

If it's a used vehicle, you can sometimes tell by visual inspection. If the body panels are crooked, that's a good indication. Use a set of dial calipers to measure the gap between panels, have a look underneath with a very bright light to check for 'clean areas' and metal fatigue, non factory looking welds, etc... If you're not qualified, then take the vehicle to an independent shop for inspection...

HTH

 

I live in Florida. I ask because I just pulled a car fax on a used vehicle I bought a year ago and it does show that it was in an accident. I asked the dealer repeatedly wether or not it was in an accident and he said no. It is a very big dealership too. Is there anything I can do.
The reason I had the carfax pulled was because a friend of mine that does body work looked at the panels and saw that they didn't match up too perfectly. Upon very close review, the didn't match up too good at all!!! I am alittle pi$$ed.

 

Like said before, unfortunately that varies from state to state. I know in GA if you ask, they must tell you the truth. It's best to do all the reasearch you can before plunking down thousands if you're not sure. Best way is to ask them to put it on a rack so that you can look underneath it. All the title searches in the world won't show damage from a major accident if not totalled until you see it with your own eyes. Fresh welds and fresh black paint underneath are dead giveaways. Under the hood look at the bolts that hold the fenders to the chassis. These usually have a little surface rust on them because the body shops usually dont bother repainting them after torqueing them down.

 

see what all the purchase paperwork says. IF what you say is true, than it IS fraud. Now, knowin' ain't provin'... IF any of your paperwork indicates your purchase was free from accident damage, OR your state has a law covering this and the information was readily available to the dealer at the time of sale, you should have enough for a criminal charge. Hint - they won't talk to you, you need a lawyer to recoup any $$$...

That said, if the accident didn't cause any frame damage or control arms - or was otherwise minor in nature, it's probably not worth pursuing...

OTOH, if your vehicle has always pulled to one side, and it was t-boned in the front, I would pursue it.

HTH

 

It does vary state to state. In some states like Missouri, if there has been frame damage they have to tell you. If there was only body damage then it can be called clean.

 

Im down here in Florida too and from what i know i think you can make something out of it. My bro recently bought a 98 Honda Civic from a honda dealer and they said its never been in an accident. Well when you looked at the car the front and rear fenders didnt match the door paint as the door looked faded. So he pulled up a carfax and it said it was in a major accident. Long story short honda switched out that car for a 2000 cause that was the only one they had on their lot. He asked a lawyer about what he could do about it and about any lawsuits he could bring up and all he said was we would only be able to get what the car was originally worth at the time of purchase.

 

Dealer Honesty?!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA Now there's a contradiction in terms!

 

Oxymoron! Other examples include: Military Intelligence and Big Beautiful Women