Wichita dealership penalized after deceiving consumers

“Engine sludge” was one of the problems. Failure to disclose safety recalls, not displaying proper buying and warranty guides to consumers and letting an unlicensed salesperson handle a sale were the others.

Now a Wichita car dealership will pay up.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, in a news release, said Star Motors, 400 N. West St., has agreed to pay a $12,000 civil penalty, give a three-year service contract to a consumer and address a $2,500 compensation to another over allegations it deceived car buyers.

The agreement, known as a consent judgment, is not an admission of guilt.

Under the agreement, Star Motors also must look through sales dating back to Jan. 1, 2016, to identity all vehicles sold or leased that had active safety recalls it failed to disclose. The dealership will notify the buyer or lessee by mail about the recalls and direct them to contact Star Motors within 60 days to claim any compensation due and the District Attorney’s Office at 316-660-3653 with disputes.

Star Motors must also identify vehicles sold with a Buyers Guide that said a car would be sold “as is,” which is prohibited in Kansas, and notify buyers, the District Attorney’s Office said.

The dealership has agreed to avoid deceiving car buyers and check for safety recalls on all vehicles for lease or sale in the future, the office said.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Wichita dealership penalized after deceiving consumers."