Per the Office of Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that his Consumer Protection Division (CPD) has reached a settlement with CarMax, Inc. over its alleged failure to disclose open safety recalls on the used vehicles it offered and sold. The CPD alleged that CarMax’s failure to disclose the recall status was an unfair and deceptive trade practice in violation of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.
CarMax advertises vehicles as “CarMax Quality Certified,” alleging that its vehicles have undergone a 125+ point inspection and a detailed reconditioning process. CPD alleged that CarMax made these representations a focal point of its advertising for many years, and, before CPD began its investigation, failed to disclose to consumers that the inspection and reconditioning process did not include fixing open recalls. CPD alleged that consumers unknowingly bought vehicles with open safety recalls on them, which potentially placed those consumers’ safety at risk.