SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- More than 100 used car dealers across the state have reached a settlement with the New York Attorney General's Office after being accused of selling hundreds of vehicles known to have serious safety recall issues.
An investigation found that 104 used auto dealerships failed to inform their customers that the vehicles were under recall for dangerous or unrepaired safety issues, the attorney general's office said in a news release Friday. Safety defects found in the vehicles include unintended acceleration, airbag problems, vehicle fires, steering, and brake loss.
Forty car dealers in parts of central and upstate New York made the list, including Cortland Used Cars, located at 3600 West Rd.
The settlement will require dealers to provide consumers with advance notice of any existing and unrepaired recall. Consumers who have purchased vehicles since January 2016 that had safety defects will also be notified of the safety recalls.
Each dealer is also required to pay a fine of $1,000 to the attorney general's office.
“The safety recalls we uncovered were serious — and potentially deadly," Schneiderman said in a press release Friday. “Consumers deserve to know of any unresolved safety issues before buying a car for themselves or their family."
As part of its investigation, the attorney general's office surveyed advertisements, monitored vehicles covered by safety recalls, and identified auto dealers that advertised vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls.
Consumers can check the recall status of any vehicle by visiting SaferCar.gov and typing in the vehicle identification number of the automobile.
