(a) Each self-propelled motor vehicle registered in this state designed and manufactured with an odometer shall at all times while operating on the highway be equipped with a properly functioning odometer. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be issued a warning for defective equipment under the provisions of subsection (c) of section 14-103.

(b) No person or his agent shall remove, turn back or change the reading on the odometer of any motor vehicle required under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or subsection (a) of section 14-106a to be equipped with an odometer except in connection with the repair of such odometer either while installed in or removed from such motor vehicle and unless such person is licensed as a new car dealer, used car dealer or general or limited repairer pursuant to section 14-52. Each odometer repaired and each new or used odometer installed in any motor vehicle required to be equipped with an odometer shall display mileage at least equal to the mileage displayed by the odometer in such motor vehicle immediately prior to such repair or replacement.

(c) No person shall sell, offer for sale, use, install or cause to be installed any device which causes the odometer in any motor vehicle required under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or subsection (a) of section 14-106a to be so equipped to register any mileage other than the true mileage driven. For purposes of this section, the true mileage driven is that mileage driven by the vehicle as registered by the odometer within the manufacturer's designed tolerance.

(d) Any person violating the provisions of subsections (b) or (c) of this section shall be guilty of committing a class A misdemeanor. Any person violating the provisions of said subsections shall be liable for damages equal to three times the amount of actual damage or one thousand five hundred dollars, whichever is greater, court costs and reasonable attorney's fees and shall pay a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars for each violation. A violation of the provisions of said subsections shall be deemed to be an unfair trade practice within the provisions of chapter 735a. Any person licensed as a new car dealer, used car dealer or general or limited repairer pursuant to section 14-52 shall in addition to the penalties imposed by this section be subject to the suspension or revocation of his license as provided in section 14-64.

(P.A. 73-429, S. 2–5; P.A. 75-329; P.A. 85-338, S. 2; P.A. 15-46, S. 4; P.A. 16-55, S. 19.)

History: P.A. 75-329 inserted new Subsec. (e) re devices which modify odometer, redesignated former Subsecs. (c) and (d) as (d) and (e) respectively and added reference to new Subsec. (c) in Subsec. (d); P.A. 85-338 amended Subsec. (d) to make violation a class A rather than class C misdemeanor and impose additional penalties–liability for damages equal to three times the amount of actual damage or $1,500 and payment of a civil penalty, and to provide that violations shall be unfair trade practices; P.A. 15-46 deleted former Subsec. (e) re inapplicability of section and Sec. 14-145 to motorcycles, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 16-55 amended Subsecs. (b) and (d) by making technical changes, effective May 31, 2016.

See Sec. 14-65 re odometer turned back or changed prior to auction sale.

Cited. 33 CA 575.