What can you do if you purchased a vehicle and found that the odometer readings have discrepancies?

You must report this odometer discrepancy to all future buyers. This best way to disclose this information is in writing by using an odometer statement of explanation. Limits” or some similar phrasing. If you suspect the mileage on the vehicle has rolled over, be sure to disclose the information to all future buyers.

1. What happens if you buy a car with the wrong mileage?
2. Is odometer rollback a federal crime?
3. What can I do with odometer discrepancy?
4. Can a dealer roll back an odometer?
5. How can I reset my odometer legally?
6. How do I report odometer rollback?
7. How common is odometer rollback?
8. Can you tamper with digital odometer?
9. How do you explain odometer discrepancy?
10. Can you fix mileage on a car?
11. How can you tell if an odometer has been rolled over?
12. Is replacing odometer illegal?
13. Does a new engine reset the odometer?
14. Is there a fuse for the odometer?

What happens if you buy a car with the wrong mileage?

Odometer fraud is prohibited under both federal and state laws. ... When buying a vehicle, the purchaser must receive a written disclosure of the mileage registered on an odometer from the seller. If the odometer mileage is incorrect, the law requires a statement to that effect to be furnished on the title to the buyer.

Is odometer rollback a federal crime?

Cars with lower mileage will generally sell for a higher price on the used car market. But if you tamper with an odometer to alter or reduce the mileage it displays, you are committing a federal criminal offense.

What can I do with odometer discrepancy?

Make sure you compare the mileage on the title and the History Report with the mileage on the odometer. If you spot any discrepancy, especially if the title's mileage is higher than the others, ask the seller to explain it. Ask for some physical maintenance records or inspection records collected by the seller.

Can a dealer roll back an odometer?

It is illegal for a car dealership to roll back the miles on the car for any reason. There are certain odometer statutes in effect that protect the buyers of vehicles if the miles have been set back. ... If the numbers did not always change due to various factors, this may lead to a discrepancy in the odometer reading.

How can I reset my odometer legally?

It is never legal to reset an odometer back to zero, or to roll back an odometer. Replacing parts on a car does not give a person a legal reason to reset the odometer. The car still has that many miles on it. You are selling a used car with some new parts on it.

How do I report odometer rollback?

How to Contact Us. Do you need to report a large-scale odometer fraud scheme? Contact NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY for individuals with hearing impairments: 800-424-9153).

How common is odometer rollback?

According to this NHTSA study (PDF), approximately 452,000 used cars with false odometer readings are sold each year, or 3.47 percent of all used vehicles sold. This means that if you plan to buy a used car, there is around a one in 29 chance you could experience odometer rollback fraud.

Can you tamper with digital odometer?

Just like any other part of your vehicle, your odometer mileage can also be tampered with. ... Digital vehicle odometers can also be “rolled back” by altering the car's circuit board and editing the mileage display to read whatever number you put in.

How do you explain odometer discrepancy?

Let's say, for example, you purchase a car from someone that states the speedometer stopped working when the odometer read 80,000 miles. He or she then replaced the broken speedometer with a new speedometer that had an odometer reading of 40,000 miles. This would be an odometer discrepancy.

Can you fix mileage on a car?

Of course, “resetting” an odometer is generally illegal in the United States. ... 49 USC 32703(2) says a person may not “disconnect, reset, alter, or have disconnected, reset, or altered, an odometer of a motor vehicle intending to change the mileage registered by the odometer.”

How can you tell if an odometer has been rolled over?

Examine the title history report and locate the disclosed odometer readings stated from each prior owner. This will help you gauge whether the vehicle odometer has “rolled over” the 100K mark more than once.

Is replacing odometer illegal?

It's actually quite illegal, according to the Federal statute 49 U.S. Code § 32703. It states that: A person cannot “disconnect, reset, alter, or have disconnected, reset, or altered, an odometer of a motor vehicle intending to change the mileage registered by the odometer.”

Does a new engine reset the odometer?

A car's odometer does not reset with a new engine. The odometer is a record of all the components of a car, not just the engine. In this post, you'll learn why resetting an odometer with a replacement engine is an inaccurate and misleading reflection of the car's history.

Is there a fuse for the odometer?

So, in most cases, odometers don't have their own fuse in the fuse box. ... Instead, the odometer will most likely share the same fuse as the speedometer or the instrument cluster.