§ 301.4. General provisions—motor vehicle dealer.
(a) With regard to a motor vehicle dealer, the following will be considered unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices:
(1) Failing to prepare a written contract for the sale of a motor vehicle and failing to provide the purchaser with a copy of the same at the time the purchaser signs the contract.
(2) Using a printed or written contract form agreement, receipt or invoice in connection with the sale of a motor vehicle which is not clearly identified and which does not contain the following:
(i) The name and address of the dealer and purchaser.
(ii) The make, model, year and vehicle identification number of the vehicle purchased and the trade-in vehicle, if any.
(iii) A description of the purchased vehicle as either ‘‘new’’ or ‘‘used’’ and, if used, a brief description of its prior usage such as ‘‘executive,’’ ‘‘demonstrator,’’ ‘‘reconstructed,’’ or any prior usage which is required to be noted on a Pennsylvania Certificate of Title or which appears on the title of any state through which the dealer has acquired ownership.
(iv) The total contract price, including an itemized list of charges for repairs, services, dealer-installed optional accessories and documentary preparation which are not included in the purchase price.
(v) A list of conditions precedent to the dealer’s acceptance of the contract set forth in a clear and conspicuous manner as well as a statement that the purchaser may cancel the contract at any time until the conditions are met; for example, if the contract must be signed by an authorized dealer representative, the document shall state, in a form, substantially as follows:
This contract is not binding upon either the dealer or the purchaser until signed by an authorized dealer representative. YOU, THE BUYER, MAY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT AND RECEIVE A FULL REFUND ANY TIME BEFORE RECEIPT OF A COPY OF THIS CONTRACT SIGNED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER REPRESENTATIVE BY GIVING WRITTEN NOTICE OF CANCELLATION TO DEALER.
(vi) A brief statement of an express warranty, such as ‘‘Manufacturer’s limited warranty’’ or ‘‘Our own 90-day full warranty,’’ and the place where a full copy of the written warranty may be obtained.
(3) Failing to provide a purchaser, at no additional charge, an exact copy of each document required by law to be provided including, but not limited to the agreement of sale, installment sales contract, odometer statement, and warranty and other documents in which legal obligations are imposed on the buyer. Copies of other documents signed by the purchaser and requested by the purchaser shall be made available for a reasonable fee.
(4) Using in a motor vehicle purchase contract a liquidated damage clause or similar clause which requires the forfeiture of a purchaser’s deposit or security when the purchaser cancels or breaches the contract unless: the clause contains a specific dollar amount or item to be retained by the dealer; the clause is clear and conspicuous; the purchaser assents to the clause by initialing the same; and the clause is not otherwise unlawful.
(5) Representing that a motor vehicle offered for sale can or will be delivered on or about a certain date or within a specified period when the dealer knows or should know that the vehicle cannot be delivered by or within the time specified or when the dealer has no information on which to base the representation.
(6) Failing to refund the full amount of a purchaser deposit promptly when:
(i) The purchaser cancels the contract prior to its acceptance by an authorized dealer representative.
(ii) The contract is conditioned upon the purchaser obtaining financing of his choice and the purchaser cannot obtain the financing after exerting reasonable efforts to do so.
(iii) The dealer does not accept the contract.
(iv) The dealer fails to deliver to the purchaser a motor vehicle which conforms to the terms of the contract.
(v) The purchaser cancels the contract because the dealer fails to deliver the motor vehicle within the time specified in the contract or, if no time period is specified, within 8 weeks after the date of the contract unless the delay is caused by acts beyond the control of the dealer and the manufacturer.
(7) Increasing the contract price of a motor vehicle after the contract has been accepted by the dealer or the authorized dealer representative unless the increase is due to the passage of a law or regulation of the United States or the Commonwealth which: requires the addition of new equipment to certain vehicles; changes transportation costs or existing tax rates; or, in the case of foreign-made vehicles, is due to a revaluation of the United States dollar vis-a-vis the currency of the country of manufacture.
(8) Reappraising the value of a trade-in vehicle unless the dealer can establish that the vehicle has suffered damage or serious mechanical deterioration since the date of the valuation but prior to its delivery to the dealer, or unless parts or accessories, or both, including tires, have been removed or replaced with parts or accessories of inferior quality.
(9) Where no express warranty is given, attempting to exclude the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose in the sale of a motor vehicle purchased primarily for personal, family or household purposes unless the following notice in at least 20-point bold type is prominently affixed to a window in the motor vehicle so as to be easily read from the outside and is brought to the attention of the prospective purchaser by the seller:
This vehicle is sold without any warranty. The purchaser will bear the entire expense of repairing or correcting any defects that presently exist and/or may occur in the motor vehicle unless the salesperson promises in writing to correct such defect or promises in writing that certain defects do not exist.
This paragraph prohibits the use of the term ‘‘AS IS’’ unless the sales contract, receipt, agreement or memorandum contains the following information in a clear, concise and conspicuous manner on the face of the document; the notice shall be in addition to the window statement required by this paragraph and may not contradict an oral or written statement, claim or representation made directly or by implication with regard to the quality, performance, reliability or lack of mechanical defects of a motor vehicle which is offered for sale:
AS IS
THIS MOTOR VEHICLE IS SOLD AS IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. THE PURCHASER WILL BEAR THE ENTIRE EXPENSE OF REPAIRING OR CORRECTING ANY DEFECTS THAT PRESENTLY EXIST OR THAT MAY OCCUR IN THE VEHICLE.
(9.1) In an instance where a motor vehicle is not roadworthy at the time the motor vehicle is offered for sale, using the term ‘‘AS-IS’’ as set forth in this section does not satisfy the written disclosure requirement in § 301.2(5) (relating to advertising and sales presentation requirements). The written contract, required under subsection (a)(1) for the sale of a motor vehicle, must instead include, in a clear and conspicuous manner on the face of the document, information that the motor vehicle is sold ‘‘AS-IS’’ and a list of the conditions, as set forth in § 301.2(5) of this chapter, present in the motor vehicle.
(10) Failing to forward to the proper Commonwealth agency amounts and forms tendered by a purchaser, such as sales tax and transfer and registration fees, within the time prescribed by law.
(b) If the sales presentation and agreement of sale has been effected in a language other than English, the written information, notice and disclosures required by subsection (a) shall be given in the principal language in which the sale was transacted as well as English.
Authority The provisions of this § 301.4 amended under section 3.1 of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (73 P.S. § 201-3.1).
Source The provisions of this § 301.4 amended July 19, 2024, effective August 19, 2024, 54 Pa.B. 4122. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (255800) to (255803).
Notes of Decisions There was no error in refusing to grant injunctive relief and impose civil penalties for alleged violations of 37 Pa. Code § 301.4(7) and (8) by an automobile dealership and its salesmen who wrongfully reserved in a used car sales contract, but did not attempt to exercise, the right to change the price of a new car if the manufacturer changed the price to the dealer before delivery and the right to reappraise a trade-in vehicle at the time of delivery of the new vehicle. Commonwealth v. Luther Ford Sales, Inc., 430 A.2d 1053 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1981).
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