Police in N.B. are investigating the previous owner of a pick-up truck sold in Toronto last July, after it was discovered that the digital odometer had been rolled back by nearly 200,000 kilometres.
The vehicle, a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500, was sold for approximately $27,000 off a small dealer lot in Toronto.
鈥淟ooked good,鈥� buyer Mary Blackmore told CTV Toronto. 鈥�2014, 97,000 kilometres (on it).鈥�
The bill of sale listed the vehicle鈥檚 odometer at 97,136 km. But Blackmore discovered that number was false a few months later, when she took it in for service. The Chrysler dealer checked the vehicle鈥檚 ID number and determined that the true mileage on the vehicle was 288,111.
Outraged, Blackmore contacted the dealer, who told her there must have been some 鈥渃lerical error鈥� with the odometer reading.
鈥淭his is no clerical error,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ome on, are you kidding me?鈥�
Blackmore contacted CTV Toronto鈥檚 Pat Foran, and with his help, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council was brought in to investigate. OMVIC soon determined that the vehicle had once been used by a road crew in New Brunswick, and that its odometer had likely been tampered with before the vehicle was sold to an auctioneer in 2015.
鈥淭he dealer in New Brunswick obviously took it in on trade with 97,000,鈥� Terry O鈥橩eefe, of OMVIC, told CTV Toronto. 鈥淭hey sold it through an auction. The dealer here in Ontario bought it in good faith with 97,000 km. So the dealer here didn鈥檛 know it had a rolled back odometer.鈥�
Blackmore says the dealer allowed her to return the truck and refunded her money, as well as the loan she took out to pay for the truck.
鈥淭hat nightmare is behind me,鈥� she said.
OMVIC reminds used vehicle buyers to make sure they get a vehicle history report and the provincial ministry鈥檚 used vehicle package before closing a transaction. They also recommend getting your vehicle checked by a mechanic you trust.
Anyone caught tampering with an odometer could face fines or jail time.
WIth files from CTV Toronto
