Cars with prior mechanical problems can be easily misrepresented by dealers. Since it may be nearly impossible for a layperson to detect prior mechanical work upon an inspection at a dealership, dealers have an incentive to cover up defects rather than disclose them. With the wide use of lemon laws across the United States, manufacturers and dealers may resell vehicles without disclosing whether they were or ought to be lemons. This fraudulent practice is known as “lemon laundering.”
When a vehicle which should be considered a lemon is purchased by a dealer as a trade-in, the dealer, to create good will with the customer, may conceal the defect. Even if a defect that would deem a vehicle a lemon is repaired and subsequently sold, other defects of the vehicle may go uncorrected.
Dealers and manufacturers must disclose prior mechanical issues both when selling and buying vehicles in order to protect any future owners from being victimized.
If you have been the victim of undisclosed mechanical problems, contact Fort Lauderdale auto fraud lawyer Kweku Darfoorof Darfoor Law Firm, P.A. at (754) 800-5657.