Missouri AG Targets Dealer for Odometer Fraud
JEFFERSON CITY — A Springfield dealership there charged with odometer fraud was ordered to halt sales yesterday after Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster obtained a temporary restraining order.
In addition to the restraining order, the attorney general filed a lawsuit against Excel Auto Group LLC, accusing the dealership of advertising, marketing and selling vehicles that the business claimed had lower mileages than they actually did.
On at least two occasions, Excel Auto Group advertised a 2002 Toyota Sequoia for sale that it claimed had 119,600 miles on the odometer.
The actual mileage on the vehicle was more than 200,000 miles.
The temporary restraining order entered by Judge Jason Brown against the company prohibits Excel from violating Missouri’s consumer protection laws; from advertising, transferring, hiding, or selling motor vehicles; from altering the mileage reading and/or odometer reading of a motor vehicle; and from disposing of any documents related to the company’s advertisement or sale of motor vehicles.
“Consumers should be able to trust that a car they purchase has the correct mileage,” Koster said. “I want to continue to assure consumers that this office will be aggressive in going after those who engage in this illegal behavior.”
Koster recognized the Missouri Department of Revenue for its assistance in the investigation. A court hearing on the Attorney General’s request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for June 21 at 1:30 p.m.
More Industry
Pennsylvania Dealership Under New Retailers
The sale of the Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store puts a family auto group on a leaner path as first-time dealers take the helm.
Read More →
Battery Storage Takes Priority Over EVs
U.S. automakers are prioritizing battery energy stationary storage over electric-vehicle production as the consumer demand for EVs lags the rest of the world.
Read More →
Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great
A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.
Read More →
New-Vehicle Sales Picture Relative
A May forecast is complicated by last spring’s trade tariff effects on auto retail. Despite continued hard realities, many consumers took advantage of ways to bite the bullet.
Read More →
Auto Group Acquires Third Nissan Rooftop
Iowa-based Coleman Automotive Group recently acquired its seventh dealership, McGrath Nissan, which it renamed Nissan of Elgin.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Building an Extraordinary F&I Agency
Work to determine your specialized talent, because that fact will determine everything about your agency’s future.
Read More →
Recipe for Compliance
The secret to both amazing barbecue and compliance is the same: understanding the basics and committing to a process.
Read More →
EVs Getting More Attractive
A growing percentage of U.S. consumers are open to switching and fewer are adverse to the idea, according to a recently completed survey. That’s despite the end of a tax break.
Read More →
EV Sales Drop in April Following Surge
North American electric-vehicle sales were down 28% year-over-year, a sharp contrast from global EV sales growth of 6%.
Read More →