Consumer Disputes Board rules dealers must cover post-sale car repairs

This spring the Consumer Disputes Board ruled that dealers must pay to fix defects in cars sold to consumers, a shift away from its previous cost-sharing recommendations. The board posted the change online in April, but some dealers continue to try to pass repair bills on to buyers, YLE reported.

In a Tampere case reported by YLE, a woman identified only as Eija bought a used Volvo estate in September after being told the car had no faults. Four days later the car failed inspection with axle, suspension and shock absorber faults, and the timing belt needed immediate replacement. YLE reviewed the email exchange between buyer and dealer; after a long dispute the dealer agreed to cover the inspection-listed repairs but insisted the buyer pay 40 percent, or 240 euros, of the timing belt cost.

Consumer Disputes Board chair Katri Kummoinen would not comment on the individual case, but she says the principle of free repair applies regardless of a car’s age or mileage. Most recent decisions have involved relatively new, high-value vehicles. The board currently handles about 8,200 cases, with roughly a quarter relating to vehicle sales.

Timo Niemi, legal director at the Auto Trade Association, said member businesses decide for themselves whether to follow the new guidance and that the ruling may be increasing uncertainty and pushing up used-car prices. The association has proposed a one-year limit for defect liability. The selling dealer said the timing-belt issue was known and reflected in the price, but it was not written into the sales contract. Eija is considering bringing the dispute to the Consumer Disputes Board; there is not yet a Supreme Court ruling on the new practice.