Lithia Motors, Inc.; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment, 5754-5756 [2016-01944]

Download as PDF 5754 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / Notices that make the following representations about vehicles that purportedly undergo a rigorous 172-point inspection: We Check It, So You Don’t Have to 172-Point Inspection and Reconditioning mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES * * * * * Our 172-Point Vehicle Inspection and Reconditioning Process is conducted only by highly trained technicians and adheres to strict, factory-set standards to ensure that every vehicle’s engine, chassis, and body are in excellent condition. The technicians ensure that everything from the drivetrain to the windshield wipers is in good working order, or they recondition it to our exacting standards. The vehicles are road-tested, put up on a lift for a complete underbody and frame inspection, and then completely checked for any cosmetic flaws. And we do check it all. From the engine block to the shocks, right down to the floor mats, no major system is overlooked. If it fails a single point, we completely recondition it—or it won’t be Certified. Even though it makes such claims, the respondent has allegedly advertised on its Web site numerous Certified Pre Owned (‘‘CPO’’) vehicles that were subject to open recalls for safety issues. In numerous instances, when the respondent allegedly advertised CPO vehicles that are subject to open recalls for safety issues, it provided no accompanying clear and conspicuous disclosure of this fact. The proposed complaint alleges that this failure to disclose constitutes a deceptive act or practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The proposed order is designed to prevent the respondent from engaging in similar deceptive practices in the future. Part I prohibits the respondent from representing that used motor vehicles it markets or advertises are safe, have been repaired for safety issues, or have been subject to a rigorous inspection unless the used motor vehicles are not subject to any open recalls for safety issues or the respondent discloses, clearly and conspicuously, in close proximity to such representation, any material qualifying information related to open recalls for safety issues. Part II is a provision that orders the respondent to notify every consumer who purchased a CPO used motor vehicle from a GM dealership between July 1, 2013 and the date of entry of the Order, and whose vehicle has not had the open recall repaired, that (1) the consumer’s vehicle has been recalled for safety issues that have not been repaired, and (2) how to get the vehicle repaired. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:14 Feb 02, 2016 Jkt 238001 Parts III through VII of the proposed order are reporting and compliance provisions. Part III requires the respondent to maintain for five years, and produce to the Commission upon demand, any relevant ads and associated documentary material. Part IV is an order distribution provision that requires the respondent to provide the Order to certain current and future principals, officers, and directors, and to all current employees, agents, and representatives having responsibilities with respect to the subject matter of the Order. Part V requires the respondent to notify the Commission of corporate changes that may affect compliance obligations. Part VI requires the respondent to submit a compliance report to the Commission 60 days after entry of the order, and also additional compliance reports within 10 business days of a written request by the Commission. Part VII ‘‘sunsets’’ the order after twenty years, with certain exceptions. The purpose of this analysis is to aid public comment on the proposed order. It is not intended to constitute an official interpretation of the complaint or proposed order, or to modify in any way the proposed order’s terms. By direction of the Commission. Donald S. Clark, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2016–01946 Filed 2–2–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6750–01–P FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION [File No. 152–3102] Lithia Motors, Inc.; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment Federal Trade Commission. Proposed consent agreement. AGENCY: ACTION: The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent order—embodied in the consent agreement—that would settle these allegations. DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 29, 2016. ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment at https:// ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ lithiamotorsconsent online or on paper, by following the instructions in the Request for Comment part of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 below. Write ‘‘Lithia Motors, Inc.— Consent Agreement; File No. 152–3102’’ on your comment and file your comment online at https:// ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ lithiamotorsconsent by following the instructions on the Web-based form. If you prefer to file your comment on paper, write ‘‘Lithia Motors, Inc.— Consent Agreement; File No. 152–3102’’ on your comment and on the envelope, and mail your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite CC– 5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evan Zullow (202) 326–2914 or Courtney Estep (202) 326–2788, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 6(f) of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 2.34, 16 CFR 2.34, notice is hereby given that the above-captioned consent agreement containing consent order to cease and desist, having been filed with and accepted, subject to final approval, by the Commission, has been placed on the public record for a period of thirty (30) days. The following Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes the terms of the consent agreement, and the allegations in the complaint. An electronic copy of the full text of the consent agreement package can be obtained from the FTC Home Page (for January 28, 2016), on the World Wide Web at: https:// www.ftc.gov/os/actions.shtm. You can file a comment online or on paper. For the Commission to consider your comment, we must receive it on or before February 29, 2016. Write ‘‘Lithia Motors, Inc.—Consent Agreement; File No. 152–3102’’ on your comment. Your comment—including your name and your state—will be placed on the public record of this proceeding, including, to the extent practicable, on the public Commission Web site, at https:// www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of discretion, the Commission tries to remove individuals’ home contact information from comments before placing them on the Commission Web site. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for making sure that your comment does E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM 03FEN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / Notices not include any sensitive personal information, like anyone’s Social Security number, date of birth, driver’s license number or other state identification number or foreign country equivalent, passport number, financial account number, or credit or debit card number. You are also solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not include any sensitive health information, like medical records or other individually identifiable health information. In addition, do not include any ‘‘[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial information which . . . is privileged or confidential,’’ as discussed in Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names. If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential treatment, you must file it in paper form, with a request for confidential treatment, and you have to follow the procedure explained in FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).1 Your comment will be kept confidential only if the FTC General Counsel, in his or her sole discretion, grants your request in accordance with the law and the public interest. Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit your comments online. To make sure that the Commission considers your online comment, you must file it at https:// ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ lithiamotorsconsent by following the instructions on the web-based form. If this Notice appears at https:// www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also may file a comment through that Web site. If you file your comment on paper, write ‘‘Lithia Motors, Inc.—Consent Agreement; File No. 152–3102’’ on your comment and on the envelope, and mail your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite CC–5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20024. If 1 In particular, the written request for confidential treatment that accompanies the comment must include the factual and legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions of the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c). VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:14 Feb 02, 2016 Jkt 238001 possible, submit your paper comment to the Commission by courier or overnight service. Visit the Commission Web site at https://www.ftc.gov to read this Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws that the Commission administers permit the collection of public comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that it receives on or before February 29, 2016. You can find more information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in the Commission’s privacy policy, at https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm. Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment The Federal Trade Commission (‘‘FTC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) has accepted, subject to final approval, an agreement containing a consent order from Lithia Motors, Inc. The proposed consent order has been placed on the public record for thirty (30) days for receipt of comments by interested persons. Comments received during this period will become part of the public record. After thirty (30) days, the FTC will again review the agreement and the comments received, and will decide whether it should withdraw from the agreement and take appropriate action or make final the agreement’s proposed order. The respondent is a car dealership that sells used motor vehicles. According to the FTC complaint, respondent has represented that the used motor vehicles it sells have been subject to rigorous inspection, including for safety issues, but has failed to disclose that the used motor vehicles it sells are subject to open recalls for safety issues. For instance, the respondent has posted advertisements on its Web site that make the following representations about vehicles that carry a dealerbacked ‘‘60 Day/3000 Mile’’ warranty: ‘‘160-Point Quality Inspection—Lithia 60 Day/3,000 Mile vehicles are put through an exhaustive 160-checkpoint Quality Assurance Inspection. We want the vehicles to look, feel and smell as new as possible. We inspect everything from the tires and the brakes to the suspension, drive train, engine components and even the undercarriage. Only vehicles that pass all 160 checkpoints (as appropriate to vehicle content) can receive our 60 Day/3,000 miles Limited Warranty. See dealer for details.’’ Even though it makes such claims, the respondent has allegedly advertised on its Web sites numerous Lithia 60-Day/ PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 5755 3,000 Mile used vehicles that were subject to open recalls for safety issues. In numerous instances, when the respondent allegedly advertised Lithia 60-Day/3,000 Mile used vehicles that are subject to open recalls for safety issues, it provided no accompanying clear and conspicuous disclosure of this fact. The proposed complaint alleges that this failure to disclose constitutes a deceptive act or practice under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The proposed order is designed to prevent the respondent from engaging in similar deceptive practices in the future. Part I prohibits the respondent from representing that used motor vehicles it offers for sale are safe, have been repaired for safety issues, or have been subject to an inspection for issues related to safety unless the used motor vehicles are not subject to any open recalls for safety issues or the respondent discloses, clearly and conspicuously, in close proximity to such representation, any material qualifying information related to open recalls for safety issues. Part II is a provision that orders the respondent to notify every consumer who purchased from it a 60-Day/3,000 Mile used motor vehicle between July 1, 2013 and the date of entry of the Order that some of the used vehicles it sold during this time had been recalled for safety issues which weren’t repaired as of the date they were sold, how to determine whether a vehicle is subject to an unrepaired recall, and information on how to get a vehicle fixed if it is subject to an open recall. Parts III through VII of the proposed order are reporting and compliance provisions. Part III requires the respondent to maintain for five years, and produce to the Commission upon demand, any relevant ads and associated documentary material. Part IV is an order distribution provision that requires the respondent to provide the Order to current and future principals, officers, directors, and managers, and to all current employees, agents, and representatives having responsibilities with respect to the subject matter of the Order. Part V requires the respondent to notify the Commission of corporate changes that may affect compliance obligations. Part VI requires the respondent to submit a compliance report to the Commission 60 days after entry of the order, and also additional compliance reports within 10 business days of a written request by the Commission. Part VII ‘‘sunsets’’ the order after twenty years, with certain exceptions. The purpose of this analysis is to aid public comment on the proposed order. E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM 03FEN1 5756 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / Notices It is not intended to constitute an official interpretation of the complaint or proposed order, or to modify in any way the proposed order’s terms. By direction of the Commission. Donald S. Clark, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2016–01944 Filed 2–2–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6750–01–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [Docket No. ATSDR–2016–0001] Availability of Draft Toxicological Profile; Glutaraldehyde Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comment. AGENCY: This notice, prepared by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), announces the availability of the Toxicological Profile for Glutaraldehyde for review and comment. All toxicological profiles issued as ‘‘Drafts for Public Comment’’ represent ATSDR’s best efforts to provide important toxicological information on priority hazardous substances. We are seeking public comments and additional information or reports on studies about the health effects of glutaraldehyde for review and potential inclusion in the profile. Comments can include additional information or reports on studies about the health effects of glutaraldehyde. Although ATSDR will consider key studies for this substance during the profile development process, this Federal Register notice solicits any relevant, additional studies, particularly unpublished data. ATSDR will evaluate the quality and relevance of such data or studies for possible inclusion into the profile. ATSDR is providing a public comment period for this document as a means to best serve public health and our clients. DATES: Written comments on this draft Toxicological Profile must be received on or before May 3, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number ATSDR– 2016–0001, by any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:14 Feb 02, 2016 Jkt 238001 • Mail: Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE., MS F–57, Atlanta, GA, 30329. Attn: Docket No. ATSDR– 2016–0001. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this notice. All relevant comments will be posted without change. Because all public comments regarding ATSDR Toxicological Profiles are available for public inspection, no confidential business information or other confidential information should be submitted in response to this notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Delores Grant, Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE., MS F–57, Atlanta, GA, 30329. Phone: (800) 232–4636 or 770–488–3351. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) amended the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund) (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) by establishing certain requirements for ATSDR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) regarding hazardous substances that are most commonly found at facilities on the CERCLA National Priorities List (NPL). Among these statutory requirements is a mandate for the Administrator of ATSDR to prepare toxicological profiles for each substance included on the priority list of hazardous substances [also called the Substance Priority List (SPL)]. This list identifies 275 hazardous substances that ATSDR (in cooperation with EPA) has determined pose the most significant potential threat to human health. The 2015 SPL is available online at www.atsdr.cdc.gov/spl. In addition, ATSDR has the authority to prepare toxicological profiles for substances not found at sites on the National Priorities List, in an effort to ‘‘establish and maintain inventory of literature, research, and studies on the health effects of toxic substances’’ under CERCLA Section 104(i)(1)(B), to respond to requests for consultation under section 104(i)(4), and as otherwise necessary to support the site-specific response actions conducted by ATSDR. The public comments and other data submitted in response to the Federal Register notices are available for public inspection at ATSDR. Comments are available for public inspection from PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Monday through Friday, except for legal holidays, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Eastern Time, at 4770 Buford Hwy NE., Atlanta, Georgia 30341. Please call ahead to 1–800–232–4636 and ask for a representative in the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences to schedule your visit. Availability The Glutaraldehyde Toxicological Profile is available online at https:// www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/ index.asp and www.regulations.gov, Docket No. ATSDR–2016–0001. Donna B. Knutson, Acting Director, Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation, National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. [FR Doc. 2016–01972 Filed 2–2–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4163–70–P DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA–2015–D–4599] List of Highest Priority Devices for Human Factors Review; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of the draft guidance entitled ‘‘List of Highest Priority Devices for Human Factors Review.’’ FDA is issuing this draft guidance document in order to inform medical device manufacturers which device types should have human factors data included in premarket submissions. FDA believes these device types have clear potential for serious harm resulting from use error and that review of human factors data in premarket submissions will help FDA evaluate the safety and effectiveness and substantial equivalence of these devices. This draft guidance is not final nor is it in effect at this time. DATES: Although you can comment on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5)), to ensure that the Agency considers your comment of this draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the guidance, submit either electronic or written comments on the draft guidance by May 3, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows: SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\03FEN1.SGM 03FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5754-5756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01944]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

[File No. 152-3102]


Lithia Motors, Inc.; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid 
Public Comment

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Proposed consent agreement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged 
violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or 
practices. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both 
the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent 
order--embodied in the consent agreement--that would settle these 
allegations.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 29, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/lithiamotorsconsent online or on paper, 
by following the instructions in the Request for Comment part of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Write ``Lithia Motors, Inc.--
Consent Agreement; File No. 152-3102'' on your comment and file your 
comment online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/lithiamotorsconsent by following the instructions on the Web-based 
form. If you prefer to file your comment on paper, write ``Lithia 
Motors, Inc.--Consent Agreement; File No. 152-3102'' on your comment 
and on the envelope, and mail your comment to the following address: 
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW., Suite CC-5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver 
your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office 
of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, 
Suite 5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evan Zullow (202) 326-2914 or Courtney 
Estep (202) 326-2788, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 6(f) of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 2.34, 16 CFR 2.34, 
notice is hereby given that the above-captioned consent agreement 
containing consent order to cease and desist, having been filed with 
and accepted, subject to final approval, by the Commission, has been 
placed on the public record for a period of thirty (30) days. The 
following Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes the terms of the 
consent agreement, and the allegations in the complaint. An electronic 
copy of the full text of the consent agreement package can be obtained 
from the FTC Home Page (for January 28, 2016), on the World Wide Web 
at: https://www.ftc.gov/os/actions.shtm.
    You can file a comment online or on paper. For the Commission to 
consider your comment, we must receive it on or before February 29, 
2016. Write ``Lithia Motors, Inc.--Consent Agreement; File No. 152-
3102'' on your comment. Your comment--including your name and your 
state--will be placed on the public record of this proceeding, 
including, to the extent practicable, on the public Commission Web 
site, at https://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of 
discretion, the Commission tries to remove individuals' home contact 
information from comments before placing them on the Commission Web 
site.
    Because your comment will be made public, you are solely 
responsible for making sure that your comment does

[[Page 5755]]

not include any sensitive personal information, like anyone's Social 
Security number, date of birth, driver's license number or other state 
identification number or foreign country equivalent, passport number, 
financial account number, or credit or debit card number. You are also 
solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not include 
any sensitive health information, like medical records or other 
individually identifiable health information. In addition, do not 
include any ``[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial information 
which . . . is privileged or confidential,'' as discussed in Section 
6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 
4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include competitively sensitive 
information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 
patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names.
    If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential 
treatment, you must file it in paper form, with a request for 
confidential treatment, and you have to follow the procedure explained 
in FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).\1\ Your comment will be kept 
confidential only if the FTC General Counsel, in his or her sole 
discretion, grants your request in accordance with the law and the 
public interest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ In particular, the written request for confidential 
treatment that accompanies the comment must include the factual and 
legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions 
of the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule 
4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to 
heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit 
your comments online. To make sure that the Commission considers your 
online comment, you must file it at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/lithiamotorsconsent by following the instructions on the web-based 
form. If this Notice appears at https://www.regulations.gov/#!home, you 
also may file a comment through that Web site.
    If you file your comment on paper, write ``Lithia Motors, Inc.--
Consent Agreement; File No. 152-3102'' on your comment and on the 
envelope, and mail your comment to the following address: Federal Trade 
Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite 
CC-5610 (Annex D), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to the 
following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex 
D), Washington, DC 20024. If possible, submit your paper comment to the 
Commission by courier or overnight service.
    Visit the Commission Web site at https://www.ftc.gov to read this 
Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws 
that the Commission administers permit the collection of public 
comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The 
Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that 
it receives on or before February 29, 2016. You can find more 
information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in 
the Commission's privacy policy, at https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm.

Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

    The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') has 
accepted, subject to final approval, an agreement containing a consent 
order from Lithia Motors, Inc. The proposed consent order has been 
placed on the public record for thirty (30) days for receipt of 
comments by interested persons. Comments received during this period 
will become part of the public record. After thirty (30) days, the FTC 
will again review the agreement and the comments received, and will 
decide whether it should withdraw from the agreement and take 
appropriate action or make final the agreement's proposed order.
    The respondent is a car dealership that sells used motor vehicles. 
According to the FTC complaint, respondent has represented that the 
used motor vehicles it sells have been subject to rigorous inspection, 
including for safety issues, but has failed to disclose that the used 
motor vehicles it sells are subject to open recalls for safety issues.
    For instance, the respondent has posted advertisements on its Web 
site that make the following representations about vehicles that carry 
a dealer-backed ``60 Day/3000 Mile'' warranty: ``160-Point Quality 
Inspection--Lithia 60 Day/3,000 Mile vehicles are put through an 
exhaustive 160-checkpoint Quality Assurance Inspection. We want the 
vehicles to look, feel and smell as new as possible. We inspect 
everything from the tires and the brakes to the suspension, drive 
train, engine components and even the undercarriage. Only vehicles that 
pass all 160 checkpoints (as appropriate to vehicle content) can 
receive our 60 Day/3,000 miles Limited Warranty. See dealer for 
details.''
    Even though it makes such claims, the respondent has allegedly 
advertised on its Web sites numerous Lithia 60-Day/3,000 Mile used 
vehicles that were subject to open recalls for safety issues. In 
numerous instances, when the respondent allegedly advertised Lithia 60-
Day/3,000 Mile used vehicles that are subject to open recalls for 
safety issues, it provided no accompanying clear and conspicuous 
disclosure of this fact. The proposed complaint alleges that this 
failure to disclose constitutes a deceptive act or practice under 
Section 5 of the FTC Act.
    The proposed order is designed to prevent the respondent from 
engaging in similar deceptive practices in the future. Part I prohibits 
the respondent from representing that used motor vehicles it offers for 
sale are safe, have been repaired for safety issues, or have been 
subject to an inspection for issues related to safety unless the used 
motor vehicles are not subject to any open recalls for safety issues or 
the respondent discloses, clearly and conspicuously, in close proximity 
to such representation, any material qualifying information related to 
open recalls for safety issues. Part II is a provision that orders the 
respondent to notify every consumer who purchased from it a 60-Day/
3,000 Mile used motor vehicle between July 1, 2013 and the date of 
entry of the Order that some of the used vehicles it sold during this 
time had been recalled for safety issues which weren't repaired as of 
the date they were sold, how to determine whether a vehicle is subject 
to an unrepaired recall, and information on how to get a vehicle fixed 
if it is subject to an open recall.
    Parts III through VII of the proposed order are reporting and 
compliance provisions. Part III requires the respondent to maintain for 
five years, and produce to the Commission upon demand, any relevant ads 
and associated documentary material. Part IV is an order distribution 
provision that requires the respondent to provide the Order to current 
and future principals, officers, directors, and managers, and to all 
current employees, agents, and representatives having responsibilities 
with respect to the subject matter of the Order. Part V requires the 
respondent to notify the Commission of corporate changes that may 
affect compliance obligations. Part VI requires the respondent to 
submit a compliance report to the Commission 60 days after entry of the 
order, and also additional compliance reports within 10 business days 
of a written request by the Commission. Part VII ``sunsets'' the order 
after twenty years, with certain exceptions.
    The purpose of this analysis is to aid public comment on the 
proposed order.

[[Page 5756]]

It is not intended to constitute an official interpretation of the 
complaint or proposed order, or to modify in any way the proposed 
order's terms.

    By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-01944 Filed 2-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6750-01-P
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