One of the primary factors that determine how much a dealership decides to sell a used car for is the number of miles on the vehicle. In some cases, the dealer may not know what the true mileage of the car is, and issue a TMU (True Mileage Unknown) disclosure to the purchaser. In some cases, the buyer may be getting a great deal on a car with low miles, but it’s more common to see the car have more miles than what is being reported.
When a TMU document is issued by a dealership, the person buying the car must sign that piece of paper, acknowledging that they have been told of the mileage status. Unfortunately, some dealers “forget” to issue a TMU, which is illegal and qualifies as Auto Fraud.
Many times, the new vehicle owner never finds out that the mileage wasn’t known, or being properly reported. Others have severe issues with their car, and pay thousands in repair bills because the vehicle has more wear and tear than they expected. Typically, it’s a mechanic at the repair shop who tells the owner that they vehicle may have more miles than they think.
Is this Odometer Fraud?
If the TMU status was disclosed, then this does not fall under the category of Odometer Fraud. Odometer Fraud typically refers to when the overall mileage gauge on the vehicle has been tampered with to make it look like the car has less miles than it actually does. Not disclosing this information would also be a violation of the law, and legal action can be taken.
While the TMU disclosure is legal, there may be other issues with the car that are going unreported. Perhaps the mileage is unknown because of an accident the car was in that damaged the dashboard or counting mechanism. If that accident wasn’t disclosed in the same manner as the TMU, the owner may have a case to sue the dealership.
Find Out if You Have a Case
Call today to speak with an attorney for free. Our firm offers no-cost consultations to used car owners who think they may have been scammed by the dealership.