Code Section

11713.  

A holder of a license issued under this article shall not do any of the following:

(a) Make or disseminate, or cause to be made or disseminated, before the public in this state, in a newspaper or other publication, or an advertising device, or by public outcry or proclamation, or in any other manner or means whatever, a statement that is untrue or misleading and that is known, or that by the exercise of reasonable care should be known, to be untrue or misleading; or to so make or disseminate, or cause to be so disseminated, a statement as part of a plan or scheme with the intent not to sell a vehicle or service so advertised at the price stated therein, or as so advertised.

(b) (1) (A) Advertise or offer for sale or exchange in any manner, a vehicle not actually for sale at the premises of the dealer or available to the dealer directly from the manufacturer or distributor of the vehicle at the time of the advertisement or offer. However, a dealer who has been issued an autobroker’s endorsement to the dealer’s license may advertise the dealer’s service of arranging or negotiating the purchase of a new motor vehicle from a franchised new motor vehicle dealer and may specify the line-makes and models of those new vehicles. Autobrokering service advertisements may not advertise the price or payment terms of a vehicle and shall disclose that the advertiser is an autobroker or auto buying service, and shall clearly and conspicuously state the following: “All new cars arranged for sale are subject to price and availability from the selling franchised new car dealer.”

(B) As to printed advertisements, the disclosure statement required by subparagraph (A) shall be printed in not less than 10-point bold type size and shall be textually segregated from the other portions of the printed advertisement.

(2) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), classified advertisements for autobrokering services that measure two column inches or less are exempt from the disclosure statement in subparagraph (A) pertaining to price and availability.

(3) Radio advertisements of a duration of less than 11 seconds that do not reference specific line-makes or models of motor vehicles are exempt from the disclosure statement required in subparagraph (A).

(c) Fail, within 48 hours, to withdraw in writing an advertisement of a vehicle that has been sold or withdrawn from sale.

(d) Advertise or represent a vehicle as a new vehicle if the vehicle is a used vehicle.

(e) Engage in the business for which the licensee is licensed without having in force and effect a bond as required by this article.

(f) Engage in the business for which the dealer is licensed without at all times maintaining an established place of business as required by this code.

(g) Include, as an added cost to the selling price of a vehicle, an amount for licensing or transfer of title of the vehicle, which is not due to the state unless, prior to the sale, that amount has been paid by a dealer to the state in order to avoid penalties that would have accrued because of late payment of the fees. However, a dealer may collect from the second purchaser of a vehicle a prorated fee based upon the number of months remaining in the registration year for that vehicle, if the vehicle had been previously sold by the dealer and the sale was subsequently rescinded and all the fees that were paid, as required by this code and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10751) of Part 5 of Division 2 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, were returned to the first purchaser of the vehicle.

(h) Employ a person as a salesperson who has not been licensed pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 11800), and whose license is not displayed on the premises of the dealer as required by Section 11812, or willfully fail to notify the department by mail within 10 days of the employment or termination of employment of a salesperson.

(i) Deliver, following the sale, a vehicle for operation on California highways, if the vehicle does not meet all of the equipment requirements of Division 12 (commencing with Section 24000). This subdivision does not apply to the sale of a leased vehicle to the lessee if the lessee is in possession of the vehicle immediately prior to the time of the sale and the vehicle is registered in this state.

(j) Use, or permit the use of, the special plates assigned to them for any purpose other than as permitted by Section 11715.

(k) Advertise or otherwise represent, or knowingly allow to be advertised or represented on behalf of, or at the place of business of, the licenseholder that no downpayment is required in connection with the sale of a vehicle when a downpayment is in fact required and the buyer is advised or induced to finance the downpayment by a loan in addition to any other loan financing the remainder of the purchase price of the vehicle. The terms “no downpayment,” “zero down delivers,” or similar terms shall not be advertised unless the vehicle will be sold to a qualified purchaser without a prior payment of any kind or trade-in.

(l) (1) Participate in the sale of a vehicle required to be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles under Section 5900 or 5901 without making the return and payment of the full tax due and required by Section 6451 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(2) Participate in the sale of a used vehicle required to be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles under Section 5900 or 5901 without making the payment of the full tax due as required by Section 6295 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

(3) The amendments to this subdivision made by the act adding this paragraph do not constitute a change in, but are declaratory of, existing law.

(m) Permit the use of the dealer’s license, supplies, or books by any other person for the purpose of permitting that person to engage in the purchase or sale of vehicles required to be registered under this code, or permit the use of the dealer’s license, supplies, or books to operate a branch location to be used by any other person, whether or not the licensee has any financial or equitable interest or investment in the vehicles purchased or sold by, or the business of, or branch location used by, the other person.

(n) Violate any provision of Article 10 (commencing with Section 28050) of Chapter 5 of Division 12.

(o) Sell a previously unregistered vehicle without disclosing in writing to the purchaser the date on which a manufacturer’s or distributor’s warranty commenced.

(p) Accept a purchase deposit relative to the sale of a vehicle, unless the vehicle is present at the premises of the dealer or available to the dealer directly from the manufacturer or distributor of the vehicle at the time the dealer accepts the deposit. Purchase deposits accepted by an autobroker when brokering a retail sale shall be governed by Sections 11736 and 11737.

(q) Consign for sale to another dealer a new vehicle.

(r) Display a vehicle for sale at a location other than an established place of business authorized by the department for that dealer or display a new motor vehicle at the business premises of another dealer registered as an autobroker. This subdivision does not apply to the display of a vehicle pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 11709 or the demonstration of the qualities of a motor vehicle by way of a test drive.

(s) Use a picture in connection with an advertisement of the price of a specific vehicle or class of vehicles, unless the picture is of the year, make, and model being offered for sale. The picture shall not depict a vehicle with optional equipment or a design not actually offered at the advertised price.

(t) Advertise for sale a vehicle that was used by the selling licensee in its business as a demonstrator, executive vehicle, service vehicle, rental, loaner, or lease vehicle, unless the advertisement clearly and conspicuously discloses the previous use made by that licensee of the vehicle. An advertisement shall not describe any of those vehicles as “new.”

(u)  Advertise the prior use or ownership history of a vehicle in an inaccurate manner.

(v) (1) Offer to a consumer a subscription service for any motor vehicle feature that utilizes components and hardware already installed on the motor vehicle at the time of purchase or lease and would function after activation without ongoing cost to or support by the dealer, manufacturer, distributor, or a third-party service provider.

(2) This subdivision does not apply to navigation system updates, satellite radio, roadside assistance, software-dependent driver assistance or driver automation features, and vehicle-connected services that rely on cellular or other data networks for continued operation.

(3) As used in this subdivision, the following terms have the following meanings:

(A) “Motor vehicle feature” means any convenience or safety function included on the motor vehicle, such as heated seats or driver assistance, that typically is offered to a consumer as an upgrade at the time of purchase or lease of the motor vehicle.

(B) “Subscription service” means a service provided in exchange for a recurring payment, including, but not limited to, a weekly, monthly, or annual payment charged to and made by a consumer, but does not include a consumer’s reoccurring payment made pursuant to a conditional sales contract or lease contract, as defined in Chapters 2b (commencing with Section 2981) and 2d (commencing with Section 2985.7) of Title 14 of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code.