An 84-year-old woman tried to climb aboard a used 2005 Ford Explorer, but the step rail was so corroded that when she tried to get into the SUV, it gave way.

That was after the muffler already fell off.

Another person purchased a 2005 Nissan Altima for $3,200. Three days later, the engine blew on Interstate 95.

And a Jackson resident spent thousands on a 2004 Jeep Liberty, only to see the SUV's starter malfunction 20 minutes later.

These are a sample of what consumers have endured at the hands of predatory used car dealers in New Jersey, according to findings in an 18-page report released by the State Commission of Investigation, an independent fact-finding agency that probes fraud and corruption. And those who work closely with consumers who fall victim to used car transactions say the scathing report is just the beginning.

The report, a follow-up to an investigation four years ago, has once again caught the attention of legislators who are proposing bills to regulate used car dealers and expand consumer protections. If they are signed into law, the proposals would create a consumer's bill of rights and shift enforcement of the state's used car industry from the Motor Vehicle Commission to the Division of Consumer Affairs, which operates under the state Attorney General's Office.

Consumer complaints pertaining to used car sales are rampant in New Jersey.

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Last year, the Division of Consumer Affairs said it received 550 complaints about used cars. That's about 1.5 complaints per day.

"The division reviews each complaint and, when appropriate, takes action to hold businesses accountable for practices that violate New Jersey’s consumer protection laws and regulations," Lisa Coryell, the division's spokeswoman, said in an email.

The division, which operates within the state's Department of Law and Public Safety in the Attorney General's Office, has the power to investigate the complaints it receives, and has filed suit against used car dealers in years past.

In 2017, the division sought restitution and civil penalties from a Newark used car dealer alleged to have violated consumer fraud laws and other regulations. In 2016, the division announced it had settled with a Leonia-based used car dealership, which agreed to pay $20,000 in civil penalties and to change its business practices. The dealer also agreed to enter into binding arbitration with consumers who said the business, among other things, refused to honor advertised prices of vehicles and sold them vehicles without providing required written warranties.

Under provisions of the proposed bills, the division would have additional power over licensing through an eight-member board that would be established within the agency.

'Screaming for reform'

The report outlines how dealers engaged in illicit conduct, which included tax evasion, insurance fraud and running a black market with dealer credentials. The schemes resulted in consumers buying cars that at times cost more to repair than they cost to purchase, the report said.

The agency said that, in some cases, consumers found it difficult to recover costs because transactions were “as is” sales, which under New Jersey law require the customer to cover all repair costs.

“These two reports are screaming for reform and we need to take some action,” said Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, the bills’ primary sponsor. “Both of these reports have concluded that the New Jersey used car industry — and specifically the multi-dealer locations — that it’s rife with fraud and deceit and in some cases unlawful activity, leaving many consumers with near-junk and sometimes dangerous cars.”

The State Commission of Investigation published both reports. The findings focused primarily on so-called multi-dealer locations, which the agency described as fronts through which dealers are licensed. Many describe the establishments as fly-by-night.

This type of seller does not operate out of a typical used car lot — in some cases, they may be based in New Jersey on paper but operate in New York or elsewhere, the report said. These businesses operate in a largely gray area of the law — getting away with deceptive dealings through loopholes, or what the commission described as a lack of enforcement.

The follow-up report was published because, as the report said, many of the used car sellers continued to operate in the same deceptive ways as first exposed in 2015.

Widespread problem

Those who work closely with consumers ripped off by used car dealers in New Jersey say multi-dealer locations are only one part of a predatory industry.

Andy Wolf, a consumer protection attorney in North Brunswick with 22 years of experience, estimated that a large percentage of his individual consumer cases pertain to car transactions, including used cars.

"Some of the problems are not unique to these multi-dealer locations," Wolf said. "The fact is we have lots of cases where people go in, buy a car and they drive it off the lot. And within an hour to a day to three days, the car falls apart."

In other cases, Wolf said, he has seen cars with engines duct-taped together.

The Commission of Investigation in each report called for stronger consumer protection laws and better enforcement of the used car industry, among other recommendations.

The two bills introduced last month by Moriarty, D-Gloucester, are meant to address the recommendations by expanding the rights of consumers, and rethinking enforcement of the used car industry by shifting power from the Motor Vehicle Commission to the Division of Consumer Affairs.

One bill, referred to as the Used Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights, prohibits "as is" sales in the state and increases the limitations of an implied warranty that consumers have when purchasing a used car. It also proposes other rules, such as requiring dealers to offer contract cancellation options. The second bill shifts licensing power to the Division of Consumer Affairs and creates an eight-member board to oversee licensing.

“I think using the Attorney General’s Office to make sure that we root out any illegal activity or any kind of corruption is imperative to getting to the heart of what is a very alarming report from the SCI,” Moriarty said. “That’s a crucial piece of it — having a new body created in the Attorney General’s Office to oversee licensing.”

After the 2015 report, legislators were swift in introducing bills to address the glaring issues exposed by the commission, said Kathy Riley, the commission’s spokeswoman.

This time around, Riley is hopeful that the bills proposed will gain more traction.

“This kind of legislation — some kind of expansion of consumer protections and just eliminating ‘as is’ [sales] — would certainly go a long way to help consumers," Riley said

It's not just consumers that would benefit from stronger enforcement of the used car industry, Moriarty said. The bad actors take business away from the responsible, law-abiding dealers who are not trying to rip off consumers, he explained.

"They have to compete against them," Moriarty said. "The good actors don’t want these people, either. The good actors in the car industry don’t want them, and certainly consumers don’t want them."