The Maine Motor Vehicle Franchise Board was created in 2003 to hear cases under Maine 's Motor Vehicle Franchise Law, Title 10 M.R.S.A., Chapter 204, subchapter 1: REGULATION OF BUSINESS PRACTICES BETWEEN MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND DEALERS. The Board is empowered to adopt rules, review complaints, hold hearings, render decisions, and impose penalties and costs on motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors under the Franchise Law.
This guide provides answers to some of the more frequently asked questions regarding the purchase of a used car. It covers the purchase of used cars and light trucks from a licensed dealer.
It does not apply to used cars that you purchase from someone in a private sale (consumer to consumer) or new vehicles purchased from a dealer.
Some types of complaints filed with this office are:
For complaints regarding title matters related to private sales please refer to the Private Sale Complaint Form (PDF).
Some types of complaints filed with this office are:
• identity theft,
• automobile related (warranty and disclosure),
• registration fraud,
• mileage fraud,
• registration evasion, and
• Title fraud.
Dear Maine Citizen,
There is growing concern today about privacy invasion and identity theft. This information outlines several easy steps you can take to protect your identity, your credit, and your privacy.
Shenna Bellows
Secretary of State
Complaints may include but are not limited to:
• private sales of motor vehicles
• the activity of licensed or unlicensed dealers,
• Title fraud,
• odometer fraud,
• identification fraud,
• insurance fraud,
• automobile identification,
• automobile theft, and
In response to a decades-long concern about regulatory activity, the federal government and many other states have adopted administrative procedure acts. The intent has been to improve public access to agency decision-making and to increase awareness of agency rules.
