Vehicles will suffer many different kinds of damage in collisions. One of the most dangerous is structural or frame damage. When a collision compromises the integrity of the frame, the vehicle may no longer be as safe as it once was, even if a mechanic or dealership makes the body look normal.
Typically, it can be very difficult for someone looking at a vehicle to quickly spot signs of frame damage. Why would the dealership choose to hide that information from you?
Frame damage affects the value of the vehicle
Typically, once a vehicle has suffered structural damage and been declared a total loss, the owner will have to use a salvage title even if they rebuild the vehicle. This drastically diminishes with the car is worth.
Part of the reason the car will be worth less money is because of how structural damage compromises its safety. The parts previously twisted or bent will be more likely to suffer catastrophic failure in a future collision. Dealerships can ask for more money when they don’t disclose these issues.
Unrepaired frame damage can cost thousands
Discovering a repaired but previously damaged frame can reduce what your car is worth, but discovering a bent frame can cost even more.
If the dealership hasn’t actually tried to fix up the frame damage, then you could soon have to pay as much as $10,000 or possibly more to try to straighten or correct the damage to the frame. That might potentially be more money than what you spent buying the vehicle in the first place.
Holding a dealership accountable for fraudulent sales behavior like undisclosed damage can compensate you and potentially prevent dealership fraud.