Dealer fraud
When the car wasn’t what the contract said
A car deal runs to a stack of forms, signed in a hurry at the end of a long afternoon. The trouble is usually in one of them.
I represent buyers against dealers and the lenders who take their contracts. Federal law covers odometer fraud, defective cars and many lending problems, and state consumer law reaches much of the rest. Some of those laws make the dealer pay your lawyer’s fees if you win; your engagement letter says what costs you could still owe.
What to look for
The pages a dealer hopes you skim
Bring every page you have. These are the ones I read first.
The odometer statement
The mileage the seller swore to. If the service records or the title history say more, someone rolled it back or looked away.
The buyer’s order
The price you agreed, line by line. Add-ons you refused, like a service contract or etching, sometimes appear here anyway.
The retail installment contract
The loan itself: the rate, the amount financed and who the dealer sold it to. Its numbers have to match what you were told.
The “spot delivery” call
You drove home, then the dealer said the financing fell through and you must sign again at a higher rate. Don’t sign anything new until someone reads the first one.
Questions buyers ask about dealer fraud
I signed “as is.” Do I still have a case?
Often, yes. “As is” limits some claims about the car’s condition, but it doesn’t let a dealer lie about the miles, hide a salvage title or misstate the loan. Those are separate claims.
Should I stop making payments?
Not without talking to a lawyer first. Missing payments can lead to repossession and a mark on your credit, even when the dealer is the one at fault.
The dealer offered to “make it right” if I sign a release. Should I?
Read the release before you sign it, or send it to me. Many give up every claim you have for far less than the law would allow.
How long do I have?
Each law has its own deadline, and some are short. Call soon after you find the problem, and keep every paper and text from the dealer.
Signature line
Send me the stack of forms
A photo of each page is enough to start. I’ll tell you which one is the problem, if any is.