Manufacturer Buyback Carfax report

[nursemurse]

Hi All, trying to see if anyone has any advice how to proceed.

I purchased a preowned LR RWD M3 directly from tesla about a year and a half ago. Cars ad site on tesla website showed it was a clean history vehicle with decent mileage and about 1 year old. Approximately 1 month ago it came to my attention when trying to trade the car in that my vehicles carfax history shows the vehicle with a branded title as a Lemon/Manufacturer buy back which of course drastically reduced my vehicle trade in value if not makes it untradeable...

I reached out to tesla service and sales at my local SC and was given no help only told that they did not show any issue on their end and that they don't work directly with Carfax and wouldn't be able to help me further.. I've been really unable to get into contact with anyone else from tesla that could help figure out the situation. I left my number for the sales manager to call back (who never did) and have sent emails with no contact back.

Anyone have any other recommendations or ideas that could help?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

"Cars ad site on tesla website" What do you mean by that?

You might want to contact a Texas or California attorney depending on where the sales is considered to have happened.
If Tesla bought it back they should have known that it was a Manufacturer Buyback, but it might not have been reported to the vehicle lookup site yet.
The law may or may not require them to reveal the buyback directly to you without prompting.

 

[tldickerson]

Sounds to like he bought it used from Tesla. Didn't you read his post that way?

 

[nursemurse]

"Cars ad site on tesla website" What do you mean by that?

You might want to contact a Texas or California attorney depending on where the sales is considered to have happened.
If Tesla bought it back they should have known that it was a Manufacturer Buyback, but it might not have been reported to the vehicle lookup site yet.
The law may or may not require them to reveal the buyback directly to you without prompting.

I did buy the vehicle directly from tesla, couldn't think of what else to describe the listing as but it was a listing directly under Tesla preowned tab.

 

[medphys3]

Not doubting you, but it seems odd that Tesla would willingly sell a "Lemon/Manufacturer Buy Back" Titled vehicle.

What are the sales/transfer dates and locations? That's where I would start looking. Could it be that it was a return vehicle from back when you had a week to try it out? Maybe the title got labeled incorrectly?

 

[nursemurse]

Not doubting you, but it seems odd that Tesla would willingly sell a "Lemon/Manufacturer Buy Back" Titled vehicle.

What are the sales/transfer dates and locations? That's where I would start looking. Could it be that it was a return vehicle from back when you had a week to try it out? Maybe the title got labeled incorrectly?

Unfortunately tesla wont give me any more information about the history.. One service rep looked into the cars service history and verbally stated he didnt see any significant service history with the vehicle. Heres the procession according to Carfax:

All in California-
01/10/2019- title issued, first owner reproted
05/29/2019- odometer reading
08/05/2019- Dealer took title of this vehicle while it was in inventory MANUFACTURER BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED
08/21/2019- Title issued or updated -correction to record

In Texas (to me)
11/11/2019- Passed Texas safety inspection
12/14/2019- title issued or updated, new owner reported


Beyond I've tried reaching out to carfax without success only told that i would need to provide supporting documentation to have its history corrected which tesla seems unwilling to help with citing "previous owners privacy"

 

[medphys3]

Unfortunately tesla wont give me any more information about the history.. One service rep looked into the cars service history and verbally stated he didnt see any significant service history with the vehicle. Heres the procession according to Carfax:

All in California-
01/10/2019- title issued, first owner reproted
05/29/2019- odometer reading
08/05/2019- Dealer took title of this vehicle while it was in inventory MANUFACTURER BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED
08/21/2019- Title issued or updated -correction to record

In Texas (to me)
11/11/2019- Passed Texas safety inspection
12/14/2019- title issued or updated, new owner reported


Beyond I've tried reaching out to carfax without success only told that i would need to provide supporting documentation to have its history corrected which tesla seems unwilling to help with citing "previous owners privacy"

"08/21/2019- Title issued or updated -correction to record"

Maybe they fixed the incorrect title type?

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

it seems odd that Tesla would willingly sell a "Lemon/Manufacturer Buy Back" Titled vehicle.

What else would they do with buybacks?

Many states require Lemon law cars to have a sticker on the drivers' door jamb and a "Lemon Law Buyback" branding on the title and registration. Texas requires a disclosure to be provided with the resale but since Teslas are forbidden in "oil country" you must have smuggled it in from a neighboring state, perhaps one with no consumer protection laws? New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana all have laws requiring a disclosure, so either you bought it elsewhere or didn't notice at the time.

 

[ilike2brkthngs]

Do you have your vehicle’s title? Check that and see if it mentions manufacturer buy back. Also check if any of Tesla’s paperwork stated such.

CarFax could absolutely have the wrong information. You can ask CarFax to investigate it as well.

However, there is only one source of data for title issues in the US. I’d recommend checking other providers to see if that is being listed there as well. - Title Check - Look before you buy | TxDMV.gov

I have access to a partial AutoCheck report. Feel free to PM me the VIN and I can double-check it for you.

If you end up finding out that Tesla sold you a vehicle without disclosing that it was a buyback, you have a legal case in your hand for Tesla to buy it back. Check with a lemon lawyer asap.

 

[nursemurse]

"08/21/2019- Title issued or updated -correction to record"

Maybe they fixed the incorrect title type?

Unfortunately it still shows the lemon/manufacturer buyback in bold red at the top of the carfax report so im thinking not

 

[nursemurse]

Do you have your vehicle’s title? Check that and see if it mentions manufacturer buy back. Also check if any of Tesla’s paperwork stated such.

CarFax could absolutely have the wrong information. You can ask CarFax to investigate it as well.

However, there is only one source of data for title issues in the US. I’d recommend checking other providers to see if that is being listed there as well. - Title Check - Look before you buy | TxDMV.gov

I have access to a partial AutoCheck report. Feel free to PM me the VIN and I can double-check it for you.

If you end up finding out that Tesla sold you a vehicle without disclosing that it was a buyback, you have a legal case in your hand for Tesla to buy it back. Check with a lemon lawyer asap.

Unfortunately the vehicle is financed so I do not have the title, however I spoke to my bank to see if they knew anything that could help and they did specify that they would never authorize a loan for a branded title and that they knew nothing.

I tried reaching out to Carfax however they only will investigate if I have an official letterhead..

 

[Ren.OG]

Sounds like Tesla took the car in after multiple issues.
Repaired it and you bought it.

If your resale value is hurt by that lemon title then tesla should pay that difference.
Considering the lemon title, you paid way more than that car was worth.

Only other thing that comes to mind is a delay in reporting.
Carfax may have been notified of the lemon title and updated as such and has not yet had a chance to update the fix performed by Tesla.
(or is it once a lemon always a lemon?)

 

[ilike2brkthngs]

(or is it once a lemon always a lemon

Yes, branded titles do not go away.

Unfortunately the vehicle is financed so I do not have the title, however I spoke to my bank to see if they knew anything that could help and they did specify that they would never authorize a loan for a branded title and that they knew nothing.

I tried reaching out to Carfax however they only will investigate if I have an official letterhead..

Did you not get an “Application for Vehicle Certificate of Title” from the State of Texas with your paperwork when you purchased your vehicle? If not, check if your bank has it or the DMV.

I’d highly recommend that you check your vin with one of the vendors on the DMV site I linked above. If it’s on any of them, contact a lawyer. If not, then send that to CarFax and see what happens next.

 

[nursemurse]

Yes, branded titles do not go away.




Did you not get an “Application for Vehicle Certificate of Title” from the State of Texas with your paperwork when you purchased your vehicle? If not, check if your bank has it or the DMV.

I’d highly recommend that you check your vin with one of the vendors on the DMV site I linked above. If it’s on any of them, contact a lawyer. If not, then send that to CarFax and see what happens next.

Purchased VinGurus report through NMVTIS website which shows no brand history and submitted a request to carfax again with the report attached. We'll see how this goes, for the sake of my wallet I hope well

 

[Jeremy3292]

I think maybe everyone is over thinking this...according to the OP the report says:

"MANUFACTURER BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED"

The word "OR" is of utmost importance here. The manufacturer DID buy the car back and then resold it to the OP. Therefore it would NOT be a lemon IMO. I agree the reporting is terrible but it does say not anywhere that it is indeed a lemon car. If the OP has more info then please share.

 

[electricar]

In my decades in the business I saw lots of Carfax mistakes and correcting them is a Herculean effort. Most people just gave up but those with the most tolerance for punishment and lots of time to burn did eventually get them corrected.

 

[ilike2brkthngs]

I think maybe everyone is over thinking this...according to the OP the report says:

"MANUFACTURER BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED"

The word "OR" is of utmost importance here. The manufacturer DID buy the car back and then resold it to the OP. Therefore it would NOT be a lemon IMO. I agree the reporting is terrible but it does say not anywhere that it is indeed a lemon car. If the OP has more info then please share.

That is CarFax’s way of describing a branded title.

Looks like the OP found out that it was bad reporting on CarFax’s end. I’d ask them to push CarFax that NMVTIS confirms that this vehicle does not have a branded title. It might take them a while to fix it and most CarFax reports are good for 60 days unless the dealer/user forces a refresh to view the updates.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[K5TRX]

Maybe part of the issue is that few other car makers buyback cars unless they have to. Almost ever other manufacturer uses dealers for trade-ins and manufacturer only buys back lemons. Many people trade in their cars to the dealer who resells it. With Tesla you are trading in you car to the manufacturer. So maybe all Trade-ins to Tesla are technically manufacturer buybacks just as CarFax says?

But you live in Texas. Texas has outlawed Tesla sales; only dealers can sell cars. Tesla Will Have to Ship Its Texas-Built Cars Out of State to Sell Back to Residents

So if it is illegal for Tesla to sell a car in Texas, it might be just as illegal take a trade-in in Texas? So maybe it is just trade-ins in Texas that are manufacturer buybacks?

If you are trading in for another Tesla the fact that you bought from Tesla would not matter?

 

[ilike2brkthngs]

I think that part of the issue is that few other car makers buyback cars unless they have to. Almost ever other manufacturer uses dealers. Many people trade in their cars to the dealer who resells it. With Tesla you are trading in you car to the manufacturer. So maybe all Trade-ins to Tesla are technically manufacturer buybacks just as CarFax says.

But you live in Texas. Texas has outlawed Tesla sales; only dealers can sell cars. You know how important individual freedom is in Texas. It will be illegal to buy a CyberTruck in Texas that was made in Texas.

Tesla Will Have to Ship Its Texas-Built Cars Out of State to Sell Back to Residents

So if is illegal for Tesla to sell a car in Texas, it might be just as illegal to trade in your Tesla when buying a new one. So you have to sneak over the boarder to another state to make your buy. So maybe it is just trade-ins in Texas that are manufacturer buybacks?

If you are trading in for another Tesla the fact that you bought from Tesla would not matter?

That’s different because any dealer in the United States can buy a car and Tesla has plenty of dealer licenses to go around (e.g. Tesla dealer in Florida can use its license to buy Texas vehicle). Manufacturer buybacks are when they are forced to buy it back due to lemon or other issues.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

How was this resolved?

Do please share!