After weeks of hunting for the right pickup truck, Santino Perez thought he’d found his match. The color alone was awesome: a bright orange 2017 Ram 1500 Sport sat pretty on a Tucson lot. It looked clean, ran strong, and came with a warranty. He signed the sale agreement and brought it home.

But just a short stint into ownership, that “dream truck” became an expensive lesson in how global car markets can collide with American consumer protection laws.

Perez said the problems began almost immediately.

The Ram 1500 started vibrating at freeway speeds

And when the check engine light came on, his mechanic delivered worse news.

It needed nearly $8,000 worth of repairs tied to undercarriage and chassis damage. But the real gut punch came when his extended warranty provider denied coverage.

His truck was considered a gray market vehicle

A gray market car is one originally built for use outside the U.S. Often, they’re in Canada or Mexico. Sometimes, they’re imported for resale here.

These vehicles can differ in emissions systems, safety equipment, and software calibrations. 

Because they weren’t certified for American roads, federal law bars them from being sold or registered here until they’re modified to meet U.S. standards.

Those modifications can only be performed by a federally approved “registered importer.” 

According to the NHTSA database for registered importers, Arizona has just one, located in Mesa.

Perez’s Ram 1500 had a standard 17-digit VIN, but its vehicle history revealed odometer readings in kilometers until 2023, when it crossed into the U.S. market

The dealership told 13 News the truck wasn’t technically gray market and said it met compliance.

Still, they took it back and sold Perez a newer 2021 model at a loss to make things right.

So, is the dealer off the hook?

In Arizona, that’s complicated. The state largely follows a “buyer beware” standard for used vehicles, meaning consumers carry the burden of verifying a car’s history before purchase.

But the Better Business Bureau says dealers should disclose if a vehicle was imported, since warranties can be void the moment a Canadian-built vehicle crosses the border.

A cheap vehicle history report and a $100 pre-purchase inspection can save thousands

Thanks to the dealer taking the Ram 1500 back, Perez was able to correct his purchase. But anyone scanning the used market in Arizona might want to double-check the fine print before signing the dotted line.