CONSUMERS FOR AUTO RELIABILITY AND SAFETY

"RALEIGH – Flames sputtered from under the hood of a nearly new Dodge minivan, which had to be towed back to the dealerChrysler Corp. finally bought it back.

But a little more than six months later, that same minivan showed up at a Wilson car lot, where Peter and Frances Pleskach of Wake County thought they were getting a good deal.

What they didn't know is that they were buying a lemon – a vehicle bought back by the manufacturer because of its persistent repairs – because the dealer didn't tell them, as required by state law.

A lemon law specialist says nearly 1,000 Chryslers have been resold to unsuspecting buyers in North Carolina in the past three years.

Rosemary Shahan of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety says manufacturers and dealers alike often skirt the disclosure requirements. [CARS] has been negotiating with manufacturers since 1996 to establish a national database where buyers could check the history of vehicles with known defects by tapping into the Internet."

– News & Observer, March 21, 2000

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