Odometer Tampering

What is Odometer Tampering and the Federal Odometer Act?

When Ferris Bueller came up with the idea of rolling back the odometer in order to get his buddy Cameron out of a jam, turning back the odometer on his father’s Ferrari seemed just as charming as all of Ferris’ ideas. Unfortunately, in real life, we have the Federal Odometer Act (“Act”). This Act protects against odometer fraud, which involves “rolling back” the mileage on a vehicle and thus falsely representing its condition or history.

A little over forty years ago, Congress put the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) in charge of odometer legislation and enforcement. In other words, odometer tampering is serious business. Looking beyond what your local mechanic might be capable of, think always of the skyrocketing prices of new cars. Imagine the resulting demand for used vehicles. It cannot be hard to then consider how used car dealerships can benefit from tampering with odometers. While this is no new matter, it has easily become one of the most pressing issues of consumer fraud.

What does the Act do? It prohibits the discon­nection, resetting or alteration of a vehicle odometer with the intent to change the number of registered miles. It also requires the execution of a written disclosure of a vehicle’s mileage at the time ownership of a vehicle is trans­ferred. Private civil actions are the best means to enforce the Act because there is very little investigative authority given to any branch of the government when it comes to enforcement of the Act. The Attorney General Offices in all states have been asked to assist the NHTSA. However, at the end of the day, you as a consumer will still benefit most from one-on-one consultation and representation.

For more information regarding odometer tampering and consumer fraud claims in general, contact the Law Office of H. Benjamin Sharlin LLC for an initial free consultation. The Law Office of H. Benjamin Sharlin LLC is owned and operated by H. Benjamin Sharlin and serves all of Mercer County, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Mr. Sharlin is a bilingual Spanish-speaking attorney who vigorously represents the interests of all his clients.

Please be advised that this blog is for informational purposes only, is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.