Altering an odometer, failing to report that an odometer has been changed or repaired or falsifying documentation regarding an odometer's mileage is against the law.
If a dealership asks you to sign a new contract, the date of the new contract may not be backdated to the date of the original contract, even if you sign an Acknowledgment of Rewritten Contract.
Flood damage reduces a vehicle's value and over time corrodes the electrical system causing components and systems to eventually fail including safety features. Vehicle flood damage must be disclosed prior to a sale.
Executive Vehicles and Demonstrators, sometimes referred to as a "Demo," "Brass Hat" or "Program" car must have the vehicle's prior use clearly and conspicuously disclosed.
Vehicles that were repurchased by a manufacturer or dealership for any defect under the CA Lemon Law must be branded and disclosed as a "Lemon Law Buyback".
Vehicles that were not manufactured for sale in the United States may not be covered by manufacturer's warranties and must be disclosed as a "Gray Market Vehicle" prior to being sold.
When a negotiation to purchase or lease a vehicle is primarily in the Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese or Korean language, then the buyer of the vehicle is entitled to a translation of the contract and Buyer's Guide in the negotiated language prior to signing any agreements.
A dealer cannot quote a higher monthly payment than a vehicle sells or leases for, and then misrepresent an offer to add free or discounted items to a vehicle’s contract in order to keep the inflated profit.
California dealer fraud occurs when a buyer is allowed to take possession of a vehicle after the dealer and buyer have agreed upon the terms of the vehicle's purchase or lease agreement including the down payment, bank rate, length of payments and an accepted trade-in, but later the dealership falsely claims that a lender is requesting that the terms of the contract need to change or that the buyer will have to return the vehicle