If we bought a work van yesterday and the check engine light came on, what are our rights?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If we bought a work van yesterday and the check engine light came on, what are our rights?
We live close by but in another state. On the way home, the transmission shifted hard and the check engine light came on. Our mechanic ran the engine code which showed a transmission slippage. Called the dealer who asked us to bring it back so his mechanic could check it. He seems above board. Our warranty sheet has checked, “30 day warranty – dealer pays 50%”. Are we stuck paying 50% of these repairs even though we purchased the vehicle yesterday and put 40 miles on it? Or could we return it for our money back? The dealer seems like a good guy and we are not sure what will happen, but just want to know our rights.
Asked on October 18, 2012 under General Practice, Maryland
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Under the laws of all states in this country the seller of an item is required to disclose all items with it that are known by the seller affecting desirability and value. If the car dealership knew that there was a transmission problem before the sale, its representative was required to disclose this material fact to you and failure to do so obligates the dealership to pay all costs associated with the problem that you have written about.
Whether you pay one half of the repairs for the transmissions after only putting 40 miles on the vehicle depends upon if the dealership knew about the transmission issue and failed to disclose such to you before the sale happened.
I would carefully read the sales contract and warranty. These two documents most likely will answer your question in conjunction with the answer submitted to your question.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.