Just bought a 2004 Nissan Maxima with a limited warranty for Powertrain only (1,000 miles or 30days). When cleaning out glove box I found a form that was suppose to be on the glass with lots of “issues” about my car, including a bent or twisted frame and cracked block or head. AG office is of no help. Worried I made a bad purchase although car rides fine…help
Have you asked the selling dealer about the information? Does the paper include a VIN # that identifies your vehicle?
The warranty does not help or hurt in this case unless something goes amiss.
Some to most states require selling dealers or even private sellers sometimes to devulge the information. If is a state specific requirement you may have a smoking gun. Look up your lemon laws for your state if any.
Between you finding this information and going to the AG office what has happened? Have you contacted selling dealer etc?
I have not contacted the dealer about what I found in the glove box. Want to know if I have any recourse and my state does not have a Lemon Law except for NEW vehicles. On the back of this page of multiple issues is the BUYER’S GUIDE and it does designate my car by VIN # so it is referring to the car I purchased. Papers received and acknowledged from the dealer state that it has no responsibility to advise of the car’s condition and it is the sole responsibility of the buyer. I cannot believe they could get away with hiding these facts. The form comes under federal law 16 C.F.R.455 which states that form was to be on the vehicle at all times except during a test drive if it limited view.
Call your lawyer. Get legal advice.
If possible return the car and get your money back before the trouble starts. The limited warranty is unlikely to be of any use to you.
In the future avoid buying cars from this particular dealer.
This is a tough lesson to learn but this is why you should always have a used car inspected by a mechanic of YOUR choosing, before you finalize the purchase. A skillful technician probably would have picked up on the damaged frame when it was up in the air, amongst other issues. Sorry to hear about this and hopefully this leads to a favorable outcome for you.
Did you sign an “AS IS” disclaimer? If so, you should have a copy of this and it means you’re out of luck.
No, the AS IS was not what I signed…it was WARRANTY with a limited powertrain so this is not applicable but thank everyone for all your helpful comments
You are so right, but I did have it inspected at the local Nissan dealership and although some things were found and corrected by the dealer, other things did not show up and they are major ones.
Inspected at the dealership you bought it from?
What state are you in? Laws vary a bit state by state.
You have a copy of a 30 day limited powertrain warranty so I would think this should cover any engine/transmission fautl but it can be very difficult to push an issue like this.
The thing now is figuring out what any alleged engine issue may be. The odds of it being a cracked head or block are very very slim. That diagnosis is made many times by someone who does not know the answer to the mechanical question at hand.
That diagnosis may often be given when overheating is involved. A compression test could be done to verify any head gasket or piston ring problems.
A twisted frame would not be covered and it’s possible for a vehicle to ride fine while in this condition. A 4 wheel alignment may show something or it may take a visit to a body shop that is equipped with a frame machine.
You should contact the dealer immediately and explain the situation. Tell them you want to return the car, and may be willing to exchange it for another from them. Don’t guarantee that you will, though. If there is no adhesive tape or just adhesive on the paper, it obviously was not on the window.