Federal Truth in Mileage Act of 1986–Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Law

In an effort to deter odometer fraud and to protect consumers, the 99th Congress of the
United States enacted the Truth in Mileage Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-579) which
amended Title IV of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, 15 U.S.C.
1981-1991. In order to comply with this Act, Federal rules and Texas law, the department
revised the odometer disclosures on certificate of titles issued on and after April 29, 1990,
to contain the following:
• The odometer reading at the time of transfer, not to include tenths of miles;

• The date of the odometer disclosure statement;

• The signature, hand printed name and current address of the transferor (seller);
• The signature, hand printed name and current address of the transferee (buyer);
Note: The same individual may not sign an Odometer Disclosure Statement as both
buyer and seller.
• The vehicle description, including make, model, year, body style, and VIN;
• A statement referring to the Federal and State law advising that failure to complete or
providing false information may result in fines and/or imprisonment; and
• A certification completed by the transferor (seller) stating that, to the best of their
knowledge, the odometer reading reflects the actual mileage, not actual mileage, or
that the actual mileage is in excess of the mechanical limits of the odometer.

Note: The department discontinued the Odometer Disclosure Statement, Form
VTR-40 effective January 1, 2011. If there is an actual buyer and seller or the
vehicle is exempt, complete the odometer statement on the vehicle assignment.
If there is not an actual buyer and seller, record odometer information
directly on the Application for Texas Title, Form 130-U.

 

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