{"id":14364,"date":"2019-03-14T22:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T03:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=14364"},"modified":"2019-03-14T19:38:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T00:38:29","slug":"consumers-must-be-wary-of-flood-damaged-vehicles-after-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2019\/03\/14\/consumers-must-be-wary-of-flood-damaged-vehicles-after-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumers Must Be Wary of Flood-Damaged Vehicles After Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission<\/h2>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-321814\" title=\"Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance - TDCI\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Tennessee-Department-of-Commerce-and-Insurance.jpg\" alt=\"Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance - TDCI\" width=\"250\" height=\"88\">Nashville, TN <\/strong>&#8211; As Tennessee property owners recover from February\u2019s heavy flooding and severe weather, the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission, which is part of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance\u2019s (TDCI) Regulatory Boards, reminds consumers to be on the lookout for flood-damaged vehicles that will likely be popping up for sale.<\/p>\n<p>After a flood or natural disaster, it\u2019s a common practice for owners of flooded vehicles that have been declared total losses by insurance companies to be allowed to retain damaged vehicles.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_446767\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Car-in-Flood-Water.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-446767\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-446767\" title=\"Flooded Vehicles Expected to Arrive on Tennessee\u2019s Used Car Market.\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/A-Car-in-Flood-Water-480x320.jpg\" alt=\"Flooded Vehicles Expected to Arrive on Tennessee\u2019s Used Car Market.\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-446767\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flooded Vehicles Expected to Arrive on Tennessee\u2019s Used Car Market.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Instead of sending the flooded car to the junkyard, scammers will attempt to sell flooded vehicles quickly, hoping to stay ahead of computer system updates so that title check systems don\u2019t have time to detect a car\u2019s history. By the time a consumer discovers the vehicle\u2019s history, the seller will be long gone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOperating a flooded vehicle that received non-repairable damage in a storm is dangerous for both the vehicle\u2019s driver and other commuters,\u201d said TDCI Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. \u201cWe want Tennesseans to be aware of unscrupulous individuals who aim to make money by selling a defective vehicle that\u2019s been disguised as being perfectly good. I urge consumers, if flooding has left you in need of a new or used automobile, to be wary of vehicle scams and learn the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Motor Vehicle Anti-Theft Act of 1996 makes a clear distinction between a \u201cfreshwater flood\u201d vehicle (which can be rebuilt) and a \u201csaltwater damaged\u201d vehicle (which cannot be rebuilt). Tennessee titling laws, administered by the Tennessee Department of Revenue, distinguish between \u201cnon-repairable\u201d and \u201csalvage\u201d vehicles by the type and extent of the damage. (The determination about the type and extent of damage is made by the insurance company.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission provides the following post-flood consumer guidelines:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prior to the sale of a flood vehicle, any person selling a flood vehicle is required by law to disclose such history to the purchaser. Further, once titling that vehicle, the purchaser will receive a branded vehicle title indicating the vehicle\u2019s salvage history. Having such a title will substantially impact the value of that vehicle for further resale.<\/li>\n<li>Anyone attempting to purchase a vehicle in the near future should be on the lookout for indicators of a flood vehicle, such as a musty smell, damp carpets, or mud\/silt under the seats, and should attempt to find the vehicle history prior to purchasing.<\/li>\n<li>Use a reputable title check service, such as the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vehiclehistory.gov\/nmvtis_vehiclehistory.html\" >National Motor Vehicle Title Information System<\/a>, to check the vehicle history. If you find that it was last titled in a flood-damaged area, you should ask a lot of questions before making a decision. Keep in mind that title check companies are only as good as the information that they collect from other sources. Some of the sources that they collect data from may be delayed in pushing their data to the system.<\/li>\n<li>Remember that a vehicle\u2019s flood history may take up to 30 days or longer to post on traditional consumer reporting sites. As such, the Commission recommends that individuals purchase motor vehicles from a licensed motor vehicle dealer, which they can verify at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/verify.tn.gov\/\" >http:\/\/verify.tn.gov\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Because the vehicle could appear to be in very good shape, even if it has significant electrical and corrosion issues, it\u2019s important to always have a trusted mechanic inspect a vehicle before purchasing it.[320center]<\/li>\n<li>Be aware that there will be many recreational and powersport-type vehicles that have been damaged as a result of the recent storms as well. Look for the signs of flooding and saltwater damage before purchasing these units, too.<\/li>\n<li>Keep in mind that there are lawful ways of reselling previously damaged vehicles. \u201cSalvaged vehicles\u201d can be repaired and sold as \u201cRebuilt vehicles\u201d so long as they comply with the applicable laws. The Motor Vehicle Commission requires that licensed dealers provide a disclosure of the vehicle\u2019s history as previously been a \u201cSalvaged vehicle\u201d on a Commission approved form.<\/li>\n<li>If you suspect a licensed dealer* has sold you a vehicle with a salvage history and failed to disclose it, you may file a complaint <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/commerce\/resources-services\/file-a-complaint.html\" >here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The Commission is not responsible for collecting or enforcing any refunds from unscrupulous sales but may take disciplinary action resulting in potential civil penalties or suspension or revocation of a dealer\u2019s license.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Visit the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tn.gov\/commerce\/section\/motor-vehicle\" >online<\/a> or by calling 615.741.2711.<\/p>\n<p><em>*Please note that the Commission does not have authority over vehicle sales transactions between individuals. In those matters, consumers will need to contact their personal attorney for possible remedies.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission Nashville, TN &#8211; As Tennessee property owners recover from February\u2019s heavy flooding and severe weather, the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission, which is part of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance\u2019s (TDCI) Regulatory Boards, reminds consumers to be on the lookout for flood-damaged vehicles that will likely be popping up for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1936,1496,2958,11800,284,6616,261,2288,519,7791],"class_list":["post-14364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","tag-flood","tag-flood-damage","tag-julie-mix-mcpeak","tag-motor-vehicle-anti-theft-act-of-1996","tag-nashville-tn","tag-tdci","tag-tennessee","tag-tennessee-department-of-commerce-and-insurance","tag-tennessee-department-of-revenue","tag-tennessee-motor-vehicle-commission"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14364"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14365,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14364\/revisions\/14365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}