Used Car Database
A new database will be launched Friday allowing consumers a place to search out whether a used car they are thinking of purchasing has been in a wreck and rebuil, had fire and been repaired, been stolen or other information.
A federal database that will allow car buyers to learn whether a vehicle has been stolen or rebuilt after a wreck will be launched on Friday – more than 16 years after Congress passed a law requiring its creation, and a year after three safety groups sued the federal government to force it to act.
This database goes online January 30 in large part to a lawsuit brought by Public Citizen and two other consumer groups. However, it appears there are still more than a dozen states that are refusing to comply which leaves the database incomplete.
Last year, Public Citizen, joined by Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS) and Consumer Action, sued the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in federal court in San Francisco, asking the court to order the government to implement the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. In September, the court told the DOJ it had until Jan. 30 to make the information available on the Internet and to issue a rule requiring states, insurance companies and junk yards to report safety information.
Currently, 10 states are not reporting vehicle data at all, while two states that are – New York and California – are attempting to prevent public access to that data. The data will be available through third-party Web sites, which will charge a nominal fee per record search. View the full story here
We have helped numerous clients who have been victims of auto fraud and products liability. It would be a great start to enable consumers and give them a place to research a vehicle before putting their lives in jeopardy.
If you have been a victim of fraud or products liability and would like to discuss your matter with our firm, please do not hesitate to contact us at 919-677-0144.
