Tag Archives: lemon used cars

Truck from CarMax catches fire, nearly destroys home

Posted on by

Californian Anthony Santos’ house nearly burned down, after CarMax sold him an unrepaired, recalled, defective Ford F-150 truck that was prone to catching on fire. Before CarMax sold him the truck, Ford issued a safety recall, warning that the truck could short-circuit and cause a fire. But CarMax failed to take the truck to a Ford dealer for a free repair.

Making matters worse, CarMax also advertised that the truck passed its “125 point inspection.” But what good is an “inspection” that doesn’t catch safety recalls and get them fixed?

Mr. Santos hired a law firm to pursue justice against CarMax, under California state laws against fraud and other bad practices, aimed at protecting consumers from unscrupulous car dealers and other crooks. CarMax is evading responsibility and trying to foist off the blame on him.

Please help spread the word: Beware of CarMax. They sell dangerous cars and if the worst happens, they try to shift  the blame onto you.

Watch NBC Los Angeles news report about Mr. Santos and his flaming truck from CarMax.

2011 – 2012 Ford Explorers recalled due to steering defects

Posted on by

Ford Motor Company is recalling 300 model year 2011-2012 Explorers equipped with steering gear replacement parts that were installed in September 2013 and January 2014. The  gears may lock, resulting in steering loss and an increased risk of being in a crash.

As required by federal law, Ford will notify owners about the safety recall. Ford dealers will replace the defective steering gears with new steering gears, free of charge to the owners of the Explorers.

The recall was expected to begin on January 24, 2014. Customers who have questions may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford’s number for this recall is #13S14. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to:

 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

If you are shopping for a used Explorer, NEVER trust the dealer to tell you whether or not this safety recall has been performed.  Lobbyists for new and used car dealers claim they cannot tell if a car is safe or not, and say it’s too much bother to check safety recalls prior to selling a used car to the public.

They also say that if there is a delay in getting repair parts, they should be able to sell the unsafe car to a consumer, rather than having to wait until the repairs have been performed.

Want to see for yourself what dealers have to say about their right to sell unsafe, recalled used cars to consumers?  Check out YouTube video from official CA legislative hearing:

car dealer lobbyists trying to kill auto safety legislation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Odometer fraud — the “Fountain of Youth” for high-mileage cars

Posted on by

A lot of people think that odometer fraud is a thing of the past, thanks to digital odometers. Unfortunately, that’s just wishful thinking. In reality — crooks have found ways to hack into vehicle computer systems and re-set odometers. All it takes is a simple gadget that you can buy online — and a lack of scruples.

Making matters worse:  thanks to incredibly stupid rules the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued years ago under the Federal Odometer Act, vehicles more than 10 years old are exempt from key provisions of the law. That never did make sense, since all it does is encourage fraud that hits low-income used car buyers the hardest. It makes even less sense now, when RL Polk says that the average age of all light vehicles on the road in the US has hit a record 11.4 years.

One of the worst things about odometer fraud:  an altered odometer can make the warranty void, or make any service contract you buy with the car worthless and void.

According to AOL Autos, a New York man was alerted by friends that his used car miraculously showed less mileage after he sold it on Craigslist:

http://autos.aol.com/article/buying-used-car-tips-odometer-fraud/

How can you avoid getting scammed by an odometer fraudster?

1. Insist on seeing the work orders showing past repairs — and look carefully at the mileage.

2. Call repair shops that worked on the car and are listed on the work orders to confirm the numbers.

3. Have the vehicle inspected by your own independent auto expert BEFORE you agree to buy it. They can hook it up to diagnostic equipment that will access the onboard computer systems — which may reveal telltale records of higher mileage.

Here’s a good place to find a good mechanic:

Car Talk Mechanics Files