Hudson Valley used car dealers agree to disclose safety defects

Several area auto dealers have agreed to tighten up the way they sell used cars.

State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has announced agreements with 104 auto dealers that did not disclose that used cars they sold could have dangerous defects. The settlement requires the dealers to inform buyers about vehicles that have been recalled for safety issues, such as unintended acceleration, airbag problems, fires, and steering and brake loss.

Area dealers who agreed to the settlement include Croton Auto Park, Croton-on-Hudson; JC Lopez Auto Sales, Port Chester; New Rochelle Chevrolet; Rivera Toyota, Mount Kisco; Rockland Motors, West Nyack; Rye Subaru; Saw Mill Auto Sales, Yonkers; and Westchester Auto Exchange, Cortlandt Manor.

Four Poughkeepsie area dealers also agreed to the settlement: Autos by Joseph, Frank Siena Auto Sales, Hudson Valley Auto Sales and Ruge”™s Automotive.

Each dealer was fined $1,000.

The dealers agreed to follow several guidelines:

• Posting the SaferCar.gov website in advertisements and on car decals so buyers can check on the vehicle”™s recall status.
• Giving buyers a copy of the model”™s recall report.
• Notifying customers who bought vehicles since January 2016 that were not repaired.
• Providing a loaner car for up to five days if repairs will take longer than a day.

The attorney general is asking customer who think they have unrepaired safety recall issues for vehicles bought after Jan. 1, 2016 to contact the agency at 800-771-7755 or https://ag.ny.gov/complaint-forms.