Some issues with motor vehicles are visibly obvious. Extensive rust damage is easy to spot. Mold growing under the carpeting or upholstery of a vehicle could be more difficult to identify. When people buy used vehicles, they often assume that the dealership has provided them with accurate, thorough information.
After all, the dealership selling the vehicle technically has an obligation to disclose issues with a vehicle for sale. The focus on profit can serve as an incentive to gloss over known issues or misrepresent the condition of a vehicle. A salesperson may not think that a buyer needs to know that the vehicle was previously involved in a flood or a major weather event that resulted in water incursion into the vehicle. However, those issues could affect not just the resale value of the vehicle but also the safety of the people inside of it.
Mold can make people sick
Depending on the type of mold that develops inside of the vehicle, passengers could be at risk due to extended exposure. Those who have previously reacted poorly to mold or to antibiotics may be particularly susceptible to mold that grows inside of vehicles. Older adults, young children and immunocompromised people are also relatively vulnerable to the negative medical effects of mold exposure.
In some cases, people who purchased a used vehicle may discover the mold when it starts growing visibly through the carpeting or upholstery. Other times, they might ultimately discover the mold issue through the process of elimination when someone falls ill due to mold exposure. Remediating the mold inside of vehicle can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. There may also be medical expenses and lost wages to consider.
If a dealership lied about the condition of a vehicle, then the business might be liable for the financial losses sustained by the purchaser because they were unaware of the vehicle’s true condition. Buyers should be able to trust that the professionals selling them vehicles provide them with accurate and thorough information about the history and condition of the vehicle.
In scenarios where people purchase vehicles due to intentional misrepresentation by sales professionals, they may have experienced actionable auto dealer fraud. They may be able to pursue a lawsuit against the dealership in response to the harm caused by fraudulent misrepresentation. Identifying mold growth inside of a vehicle can help people demand accountability from dealerships that resell vehicles in questionable condition.