Many consumers believe they are guaranteed to get a high-quality vehicle if they buy a “Certified Pre-Owned” vehicle. Unfortunately, many of those cars have serious defects, and some may even have serious safety defects.
One of Consumer Law Group, LLC’s clients recently filed a lawsuit against K&W Enterprises, LLC d/b/a Kia of East Hartford for selling a defective car as a certified pre-owned vehicle. According to the Complaint, Kia of East Hartford the car had previously been involved in a prior accident or similar incident resulting in front-end damage. The lawsuit alleges that Kia of East Hartford certified the car even though it required more than $10,000 in repairs..
CPO vehicles are often sold at a higher price and consumers are willing to pay a higher price because they believe that these vehicle are of higher quality. The truth is, many CPO vehicles do not meet that standard.
Under Kia’s CPO program, vehicles are supposedly subjected to a rigorous and comprehensive 165-point inspection. Unfortunately, many dealerships sell CPO vehicles even though no inspection has been performed or defects are overlooked.
In some cases, the vehicles are not safe to drive. These vehicles may have been in an accident, contain structural damage, or have other serious mechanical issues which would make marketing them as a CPO improper. Therefore, some consumers are buying CPO vehicles in worse condition than the vehicles that have not been certified.
Consumers should consider getting an independent inspection before purchasing any used vehicle from a dealership, even if the dealership claims the vehicle is “certified.”