Used Car With a Hidden Fault

FTC Used Car Rule (16 CFR Part 455) plus state-level implied warranty and lemon laws

Used car rule

In force since 1985, formally the Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule: dealers must display a window sticker, the 'Buyers Guide', disclosing whether the car is sold with a warranty and, if so, its terms (duration, percentage of repair costs covered, which systems are covered). "In states that do not permit sales of used cars 'as is,' or without warranties, dealers must display an alternative version of the Buyers Guide."

State variation

Whether a dealer can sell 'as is' (no warranty), and whether a state's used-car 'lemon law' gives extra protection, varies by state and was not individually verified here.

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Consumer Rights Act 2015 — applies to dealer (trader) sales only; private sales are governed separately

Satisfactory quality

Section 9: "Every contract to supply goods is to be treated as including a term that the quality of the goods is satisfactory" — judged by what a reasonable person would consider satisfactory, given the description, price, and all other relevant circumstances (including the goods' fitness for normal purpose, appearance/finish, freedom from minor defects, safety, and durability). Does not cover defects specifically pointed out before purchase, or apparent from the buyer's own pre-purchase examination.

Short term right and presumption

Same 30-day short-term right to reject and 6-month reversed-burden-of-proof presumption already confirmed for the 'refund-defective-product' claim apply equally to used cars bought from a dealer.

Private sales

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 only applies to contracts where a trader supplies goods to a consumer — it does not apply to private (person-to-person) sales. For a private sale, the main protection is that the goods must match their description ('as described'); there is no statutory satisfactory-quality or fitness-for-purpose guarantee from a private seller.

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