Articles Posted in Auto Fraud

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3 Reasons Why it Doesn’t Make Sense to Rely on the Carfax Provided by the Dealer:

  • The dealer might have provided an outdated Carfax report. Unfortunately, Carfax doesnt always report accidents in a timely manner. If the dealer fails to hand or show you the most recent report then important information may be missing.
  • The dealer may alter the Carfax report to make the car’s title appear clean even though it is branded as flood or rebuilt.
  • The dealer may not be responsible for the inaccuracies on the Carfax report as in cases where accidents aren’t listed because a prior owner never reported it; however the dealer may have inspected the vehicle and may know it has flood damage or have substantial body work and other tell tale signs it was in a serioud accident. The auto auction may have announced these problems as well but the dealer has chosen to conceal them from you.

If you are a victim of auto auto fraud it is important to learn about your rights and to contact an experienced attorney.

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NPR reports:

MARTIN: This past week, the German car giant Volkswagen admitted to cheating emissions tests with a device built into VW diesel engines. Just hours after the story broke, a Seattle-based law firm filed a consumer class-action suit against Volkswagen. And by Friday, the number of federal suits that had been filed against VW had reached at least 34. That number seems to be climbing. Here to talk through the number of class-action suits is data journalist Mona Chalabi.

Hi, Mona.

CHALABI: Hi, Rachel.

MARTIN: Explain this number. Where did these 34 cases come from?

CHALABI: All over the country, actually. There’s been a bit of a gold rush for this – and I can tell you a little bit about the gold kind of later on. But for now, I just want to explain really quickly what a class-action lawsuit is because it wasn’t completely clear to me. So it’s a type of lawsuit where one or several people sue on behalf of a much larger group. And it’s that larger group that is known as the class. And in the case of Volkswagen, almost 500,000 cars have been recalled in the U.S. alone.

MARTIN: Is there any precedent for this?

CHALABI: Yeah, absolutely. So class-action lawsuits of this kind are sort of common. In 2012, Toyota agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle a class-action suit to car owners who said they lost money because of a fault in their vehicles. It was a really serious flaw as well. The car actually accelerated automatically, and that fault resulted in at least one death.

MARTIN: As you mentioned, Toyota paid out over a billion dollars. Does that mean that individuals can get big payouts in these kinds of cases?

CHALABI: They can do, but not necessarily. So one plaintiff in that particular case, a computer science student called Jonathan Sourbeer, said he got a check for $20.91 from Toyota for his vehicle flaw. And I think what’s really striking about that is when you compare those sums to what the lawyers are getting. So in that case, there were 85 plaintiff lawyers who, between them, managed to get $227 million in fees and costs from Toyota.

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Our Chicago car dealer fraud and Lemon Law attorneys near Lombard and Westmont bring individual and class actions suits for defective cars with common design defects and auto dealer fraud and other car dealer scams such as selling rebuilt wrecks as certified used cars or misrepresenting a car as being in good condition when it is rebuilt wreck or had the odometer rolled back. Super Lawyers has selected our DuPage, Kane and Cook County auto-fraud, car dealer fraud and lemon law lawyers as among the top 5% in Illinois. We only collect our fee if we win or settle your case. For a free consultation call our Chicago class action lawyers at our toll free number 630-333-0333 or contact us on the web by clicking here.

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This Video provides excellent information but we have found instances where cars are misrepresented as in good condition and in fact are flood damaged.

Our Chicago car dealer fraud and Lemon law attorneys near Chicago Ridge and Glendale Hts. bring individual and class actions suits for defective cars with common design defects and auto dealer fraud and other car dealer scams such as selling rebuilt wrecks as certified used cars or misrepresenting a car as being in good condition when it is rebuilt wreck or had the odometer rolled back. Super Lawyers has selected our DuPage, Kane and Cook County auto-fraud, car dealer fraud and lemon law lawyers as among the top 5% in Illinois. We only collect our fee if we win or settle your case. For a free consultation call our Chicago class action lawyers at our toll free number 630-333-0333 or contact us on the web by clicking here.

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Declaring bankruptcy can have a number of advantages for some companies. It doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the company, but it can be the beginning of a transition into another company, even if it continues in the same business.

For example, General Motors (G.M.) declared bankruptcy in 2009. It’s still doing business, but the company that made cars prior to the bankruptcy agreement is known as “Old G.M.”, while the company currently making cars is known as “New G.M.” It may not seem like much of a difference, and to many people it’s not, but at least in terms of liability, it can make all the difference in the world. Continue reading ›

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Follow these 8 tips to see if a used car you are thinking of purchasing has been damaged by water from a flood. 

Here are 8 tips to avoid purchasing a flood water damaged car.  These cars can also be brand new water damaged cars.  Be careful! Avoid having to sue for auto fraud.

  • Get a CARFAX Report, and an Auto Check report – These reports may show if the car has been in an accident, flood, fire or odometer fraud but do not fully trust them as they can sometimes be out dated and inaccurate.
  • Take the car to a body shop to have it inspected.
  • Ask to see a copy of the title, if possible.  Most dealers will not let you see this, but it can’t hurt to ask.
  • Use your sense of smell to see if  there are any musty or damp odors inside the car.
  • Has the upholstery or carpet been replaced?  Go throught the car and pull back the carpet in different spots to see if you can see any stains or water lines.
  • Look under the car for mud.  This is a very difficult area to clean.
  • Look under the car for corrosion.
  • Open all doors, including the trunk and hood to inspect for mud, dirt or corrosion.  Look at the hinges, door frame and little crevices.
  • Check all lights, warning lights, electrical components and windows to see if they are working.  This does not mean the car has been damaged in a flood, but it, along with other problems can be a concern.
  • Take a friend with you and ask if the car has ever been flooded, in an accident, involved in a fire or invloved in odometer fraud.  Make sure you ask each question separately and make sure your witness is paying attention!

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Whey they buy a used car, many consumers rely on Carfax or AutoCheck to reports to see if car of their dreams has been in an accident, suffered flood damage,  been stolen, or had some other issue that would lower its value substantially. As a result, many car dealerships will offer to provide the Carfax report to prospective buyers.  However, consumers cannot rely on these reports and should get the car inspected by a knowledgeable mechanic and body shop before purchasing any used car.  We have found in our cases that Carfax reports can be incomplete for a number a reasons; many of our clients have been deceived by the Carfax report provided by the dealer and have purchased rebuilt wrecks and flood cars. Reports like Carfax have come under fire in the past for often providing inaccurate or incomplete information when information has been hidden from them such as past owners failing to report accidents and fixing the car without notifying later purchasers of the damage. Further, when the report is provided by the dealer, you cannot be 100% positive that the report is current and accurate and that the vehicle has not been in an accident flood or damaged. Continue reading ›

Contact Information
Chicago Office
19 S LaSalle St #702
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 630-333-0333
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Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: 630-333-0333 Please direct all mail correspondence to our Oakbrook Terrace address.
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