Federal Odometer Act — Federal Law on Mileage and the $10,000-Per-Violation Rollback (2026)

Manny Ruiz · Real Talk Media Group — Last Verified 2026-07-04

TL;DR

The Federal Odometer Act (49 U.S.C. § 32701 et seq.) makes it a federal offense to tamper with or misrepresent a motor vehicle’s odometer, and it requires a written mileage disclosure at every title transfer. Civil penalties reach $10,000 per violation under § 32709. Consumers get a private right of action for treble damages — three times actual damages, minimum $10,000 statutory damages, plus attorney’s fees — under § 32710. Implementing regulations at 49 C.F.R. Part 580 set the disclosure format. Vehicles over 10 model years old (measured from the vehicle model year and the year of transfer) and vehicles over 16,000 pounds GVWR are exempted from the mileage-disclosure requirement, but the anti-tampering provisions still apply. Odometer fraud remains a NHTSA enforcement priority; check the vehicle history report and the seller’s disclosure before you sign. (Last Verified 2026-07-04.)

The Statute / The Law

• 49 U.S.C. § 32701 — Congressional findings and purpose
• 49 U.S.C. § 32703 — prohibited acts (tampering, false disclosure, sale of tampered vehicle)
• 49 U.S.C. § 32704 — service, repair, and replacement of odometers
• 49 U.S.C. § 32705 — mileage disclosure requirements at title transfer
• 49 U.S.C. § 32709 — civil and criminal penalties
• 49 U.S.C. § 32710 — private civil action, treble damages, attorney’s fees
• 49 C.F.R. Part 580 — implementing regulations, disclosure format, record retention

NHTSA (part of DOT) is the primary federal regulator. State-level enforcement often runs parallel through state DMVs and state AG consumer protection divisions (Georgia: DDS + Consumer Protection Division; see GA-8).

Sources: 49 U.S.C. § 32705 at law.cornell.edu · 49 C.F.R. Part 580 at ecfr.gov

How It Works

Disclosure at every title transfer. Under § 32705 and Part 580, at every transfer of ownership the transferor must provide the transferee with a written disclosure of the vehicle’s odometer reading. The disclosure must state either that the odometer reflects actual mileage, that the actual mileage is unknown, or that the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limits. The disclosure is typically incorporated into the state title form (in Georgia, the MV-1 or the back of the certificate of title).

Exemptions. The mileage-disclosure requirement does not apply to:

• Vehicles over 10 model years old (calculated from the model year and the year of transfer)
• Vehicles with GVWR over 16,000 pounds
• Certain new vehicles under specific conditions
• Vehicles that are not self-propelled

Anti-tampering. Section 32703(2) prohibits disconnecting, resetting, altering, or having disconnected, reset, or altered any odometer with intent to change the mileage registered by the odometer. Section 32703(4) prohibits selling or offering for sale any device that causes an odometer to register other than actual mileage. These prohibitions apply regardless of vehicle age or GVWR.

Repair, replacement, service (§ 32704). When a service, repair, or replacement of an odometer changes the mileage reading, the person performing the work must attach a written notice to the doorframe indicating the true mileage before the service and the date of the service. Failure to attach this notice is a separate violation.

Civil penalty (§ 32709). The maximum civil penalty for a violation of the Act was set by statute at $10,000 per violation, with an aggregate cap indexed for inflation. Under separate NHTSA inflation-adjustment mechanisms at 49 C.F.R. Part 578 (see F4), specific penalty maxima are adjusted annually.

Criminal penalty (§ 32709(b)). Fines up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations, plus imprisonment up to three years for knowing and willful violations.

Private civil action (§ 32710). A person who violates the Act with intent to defraud is liable to the buyer for three times actual damages OR $10,000, whichever is greater, PLUS attorney’s fees and costs. This treble-damages-plus-fees structure funds the consumer-side plaintiffs’ bar for odometer cases. (Last Verified 2026-07-04.)

Cure Period

The Act has no consumer-side cure period. The private civil action under § 32710 must be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues (§ 32710(b)) — meaning the earlier of when the fraud was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered.

Common Violations

Recurrent odometer-fraud patterns 2020–2026:

• Rollback on a resold used vehicle — most common variant, especially on late-model higher-mileage cars where mileage has a large price effect
• Failure to disclose “actual mileage unknown” when the disclosure should have been marked
• False disclosure claiming “actual” when the seller knew or should have known the mileage was inaccurate
• Missing doorframe notice after odometer replacement
• Digital-odometer manipulation via ECU tools — a growing category as vehicles moved from mechanical to digital odometers
• Fleet-vehicle disclosure gaps on high-mileage former-fleet cars sold to dealers who then retail them

NHTSA and DOJ have brought federal prosecutions against multi-vehicle odometer-rollback rings; state AGs handle the majority of individual-dealer cases.

What Buyers Should Do

Before you buy a used vehicle: (1) run the VIN through NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System) at vehiclehistory.gov — this is the DOJ-authorized federal database, and it pulls state title data. NMVTIS shows past mileage readings at each title transfer. Cross-check with the mileage on the current title and the dashboard. (2) Order a commercial vehicle history report (CARFAX or AutoCheck) — these report additional mileage snapshots from state inspections and service records. (3) Ask the seller for the previous title showing prior mileage — a legitimate dealer will produce it.

If the disclosed mileage at title transfer differs from prior recorded mileage without explanation, that gap is your evidence of an odometer discrepancy. Under § 32710, if you can show intent to defraud, your remedy is treble damages or $10,000 (whichever is greater) plus attorney’s fees. File complaints with the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), the Georgia AG Consumer Protection Division (GA-12), and NHTSA at nhtsa.gov.

If the sale was a private-party transaction with a “as-is” title where the mileage disclosure was marked “actual mileage unknown,” the odometer statute does not create liability but state UDAP (Georgia FBPA § 10-1-393, see GA-12) still may.

Bilingual Notes

Para compradores hispanohablantes: la Ley Federal del Odómetro (49 U.S.C. § 32701) requiere disclosure escrito del millaje en toda transferencia de título de vehículo. Manipular o dar información falsa del odómetro es delito federal — pena civil hasta $10,000 por violación (§ 32709), y usted como comprador tiene derecho a demandar por tres veces sus daños actuales o $10,000, lo que sea mayor, más honorarios de abogado (§ 32710). Antes de comprar un vehículo usado, revise el VIN en vehiclehistory.gov (base de datos federal NMVTIS) — allí verá el millaje registrado en cada transferencia de título anterior. Si hay discrepancia sin explicación, presente queja al Fiscal General de Georgia (ver GA-12) y a NHTSA. El disclosure de millaje NO aplica a vehículos con más de 10 años modelo ni a vehículos de más de 16,000 libras GVWR.

Sources (Primary)

1. 49 U.S.C. § 32701 — Congressional purpose. law.cornell.edu (Accessed 2026-07-04)
2. 49 U.S.C. § 32705 — mileage disclosure at title transfer. law.cornell.edu (Accessed 2026-07-04)
3. 49 U.S.C. § 32709 — civil and criminal penalties. law.cornell.edu (Accessed 2026-07-04)
4. 49 U.S.C. § 32710 — private civil action, treble damages, attorney’s fees. law.cornell.edu (Accessed 2026-07-04)
5. 49 C.F.R. Part 580 — implementing regulations. ecfr.gov (Accessed 2026-07-04)
6. NMVTIS federal title database (DOJ). vehiclehistory.gov (Accessed 2026-07-04)

Related Cells

• F1 — FTC Used Car Rule — Buyers Guide may include mileage-status boxes
• F4 — NHTSA recalls (same agency oversight)
• F8 — UDAAP — often bundled with odometer fraud in FTC actions
• GA-8 — Georgia title branding and salvage / rebuilt / flood status
• GA-12 — Georgia FBPA state-law remedy

Manny’s Floor Note

Odometer fraud is one of the harder categories to explain to a buyer because the vehicle sits there looking fine — the fraud is invisible on the surface. What is not invisible is the NMVTIS record, which the buyer can pull for free before writing a check. Every buyer I have walked through NMVTIS lookup has been surprised what shows up — some records are clean, some show mileage jumps that need an explanation from the seller, some show title brands the buyer did not know about. Ninety seconds at vehiclehistory.gov is one of the best-value defensive moves a used-car buyer makes. Federal law lets you look. Look. (our verification process: Manny’s sales floor through sales manager experience — not F&I, not general management.)

Verified 2026-07-04 against primary sources.