§ 44-1267 — Used motor vehicles; title; implied warranty of merchantability disclaimer; waiver; burden of proof; remedies

Arizona § 44-1267

• Jurisdiction: Arizona
• Title 44: Arizona Revised Statutes
• Ch. 9: TRADE PRACTICES GENERALLY
• Art. 5: Motor Vehicle Warranties

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A. Before the seller attempts to sell a used motor vehicle the seller shall possess the title to the used motor vehicle and the title shall be in the seller's name.

B. Except as provided in subsection I of this section and in addition to the requirements of section 28-4412, a used motor vehicle dealer shall not exclude, modify or disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability prescribed in section 47-2314 or limit the remedies for a breach of that warranty, except as otherwise provided in this section, before midnight of the fifteenth calendar day after delivery of a used motor vehicle or until a used motor vehicle is driven five hundred miles after delivery, whichever is earlier. In calculating time under this subsection, a day on which the warranty is breached is excluded and all subsequent days in which the motor vehicle fails to conform with the implied warranty of merchantability are also excluded. In calculating distance under this subsection, the miles driven to obtain or in connection with the repair, servicing or testing of the motor vehicle that fails to conform with the implied warranty of merchantability are excluded. An attempt to exclude, modify or disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability or to limit the remedies for a breach of that warranty, except as otherwise provided in this section, in violation of this subsection renders a purchase agreement voidable at the option of the purchaser.

C. For the purposes of this section, the implied warranty of merchantability is met if the motor vehicle functions in a safe condition as provided in title 28, chapter 3, article 16 and is substantially free of any defect that significantly limits the use of the motor vehicle for the ordinary purpose of transportation on any public highway. The implied warranty of merchantability expires at midnight of the fifteenth calendar day after delivery of a used motor vehicle or when a used motor vehicle has been driven five hundred miles after delivery, whichever is earlier. In calculating time under this subsection, a day on which the warranty is breached is excluded and all subsequent days in which the motor vehicle fails to conform with the implied warranty of merchantability are also excluded. In calculating distance under this subsection, the miles driven to obtain or in connection with the repair, servicing or testing of the motor vehicle that fails to conform with the implied warranty of merchantability are excluded.

D. The implied warranty of merchantability described in this section does not extend to damage that occurs after the sale of the motor vehicle and that is the result of any abuse, misuse, neglect, failure to perform regular maintenance or to maintain adequate oil, coolant or other required fluid or lubricant or off road use, racing or towing.

E. If the implied warranty of merchantability described in this section is breached, the purchaser shall give reasonable notice to the seller. Before the purchaser exercises any other remedies under title 47, chapter 2, the seller shall have a reasonable opportunity to repair the vehicle. The purchaser shall pay one-half of the cost of the first two repairs necessary to bring the vehicle in compliance with the warranty. The purchaser's payments are limited to a maximum payment of twenty-five dollars for each repair.

F. The maximum liability of the seller under this section is limited to the purchase price paid for the used motor vehicle.

G. An agreement for the sale of a used motor vehicle by a used motor vehicle dealer is voidable at the option of the purchaser unless it contains on its face the following conspicuous statement printed in bold-faced ten point or larger type set off from the body of the agreement:

The seller hereby warrants that this vehicle will be fit for the ordinary purposes for which the vehicle is used for 15 days or 500 miles after delivery, whichever is earlier, except with regard to particular defects disclosed on the first page of this agreement. You (the purchaser) will have to pay up to $25.00 for each of the first two repairs if the warranty is violated.

H. The inclusion of the statement prescribed in subsection G of this section in the agreement does not create an express warranty.

I. A purchaser of a used motor vehicle may waive the implied warranty of merchantability described in this section only for a particular defect in the vehicle and only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

1. The used motor vehicle dealer fully and accurately discloses to the purchaser that because of circumstances unusual to the used motor vehicle dealer's business, the used motor vehicle has a particular defect.

2. The purchaser agrees to buy the used motor vehicle after disclosure of the defect.

3. Before the sale, the purchaser indicates agreement to the waiver by signing and dating the following conspicuous statement that is printed on the first page of the sales agreement in bold-faced ten point or larger type and that is written in the language in which the presentation was made:

Attention purchaser: sign hereonlyif the dealer told you that this vehicle has the following problem(s) and that you agree to buy the vehicle on those terms:

1._______________________________

2._______________________________

3._______________________________

J. The dealer has the burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the dealer complied with subsection I of this section.

K. Any purchaser or seller who is aggrieved by a transaction pursuant to this section and who seeks a legal remedy shall pursue any appropriate remedy prescribed in title 47, chapter 2 and shall comply with the requirements prescribed in title 47, chapter 2.