Ohio targets 6 used car dealers after title issues cross $300,000
Buying a used car naturally comes with some stress. But it should never be because you’re chasing down a title like it’s a golden ticket. That’s exactly what went sideways in Ohio, where Attorney General Dave Yost is suing six used car dealerships. It’s all over missing or delayed vehicle titles. The kicker? A state-managed fund had to cough up over $300,000 to fix the mess.
A missing or delayed title isn’t just an inconvenience; it can totally jam you up
It halts your ability to legally drive, register, insure, or resell the vehicle. No title means you don’t officially own the car in the eyes of the state, even if you paid in full. It’s like buying a house but never getting the deed. You’re stuck with a used car you can’t prove is yours.
Ohio’s Title Defect Rescission Fund exists to protect consumers when a dealership fails to deliver a vehicle title on time. If a buyer doesn’t get their title within 40 days, the fund steps in to refund their money or help resolve the issue. It’s essentially a safety net, paid into by licensed dealers, that keeps buyers from getting stranded with a car they can’t legally use.
One of the dealerships named is Automax of Canton, formerly located in Stark County. The state says Automax and its operator, Elias Eberly, violated Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Certificate of Motor Vehicles Act. Used car buyers were left in limbo, unable to legally register or resell their vehicles because titles weren’t delivered within the 40-day legal window. Automax alone triggered over $46,000 in payouts from Ohio’s Title Defect Rescission Fund.
Eberly, for his part, won’t be responding anytime soon. He’s currently serving time in an Ohio prison on an unrelated weapons charge out of Summit County, the Canton Repository shared.
The lawsuits are part of Yost’s broader crackdown on shady used car dealers statewide
Other businesses in the legal crosshairs include Sirius Motors (Butler County), Highway 22 Auto Sales (Fairfield County), Robinson Auto (Fayette County), Ohio Luxury Imports (Licking County), and Prestige Family Cars (Wood County). Sirius topped the list with over $86,000 in complaints.
Yost’s advice to buyers? Read reviews. Check complaints. Understand who you’re dealing with. Title issues may sound like frivolous paperwork drama, but they can sideline your used car purchase faster than a blown transmission. For car dealers, actually, it’s even more expensive.
