United States · Bill · HR
H.R. 1855 (99th)
Automobile Consumer Protection Act of 1985
Introduced
1 April 1985
Last action
4 April 1985 · Referred
Status
Referred to Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance.
Sponsors
Rep. Lantos, Tom [D-CA-11], Rep. Frost, Martin [D-TX-24], Rep. Hawkins, Augustus F. [D-CA-29], Rep. Mitchell, Parren J. [D-MD-7], Rep. Morrison, Bruce A. [D-CT-3], Rep. Oakar, Mary Rose [D-OH-20], Rep. Owens, Major R. [D-NY-12], Rep. Stokes, Louis [D-OH-21]
Subjects
Discovery layer
Source updated
29 August 2025
Summary
Automobile Consumer Protection Act of 1985 - Authorizes a consumer to notify the manufacturer, its agent, or its authorized dealer that an automobile does not conform to all applicable warranties. Requires such nonconformity to be corrected at no charge even though the corrections may have to be made after the expiration of the warranty period. Provides that if the defect or condition not in conformity with the warranty cannot be corrected after a reasonable number of attempts, the manufacturer must either replace the motor vehicle with a comparable one or refund the full purchase price less a reasonable allowance for mileage and any damage not attributable to normal wear and tear. Permits a manufacturer to allege as an affirmative defense to any such claim either that: (1) the nonconformity does not substantially impair the value of the motor vehicle; or (2) it is the result of abuse, neglect, or unauthorized modification or alterations. States that if a manufacturer has established an informal dispute procedure, the refund or replacement requirements of this Act will not apply unless the consumer resorts to such procedure. Prohibits a consumer from waiving, limiting, or disclaiming these provisions. Requires an action brought under these provisions to be commenced within four years after the date of the original delivery of the motor vehicle. Permits the court to award attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff.
This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.
Timeline
1 April 1985
Introduced
Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Source: IntroReferral
1 April 1985
Introduced
Introduced in House
Source: IntroReferral
1 April 1985
Introduced
Introduced in House
Source: IntroReferral
4 April 1985
Referred
Referred to Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance.
Source: Committee
Votes
No vote records are attached yet.
Versions
No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.
Documents
1 official file
Introduced in House
summary · EN · 1 April 1985
Sponsors
- Rep. Lantos, Tom [D-CA-11] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Frost, Martin [D-TX-24] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Hawkins, Augustus F. [D-CA-29] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Mitchell, Parren J. [D-MD-7] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Morrison, Bruce A. [D-CT-3] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Oakar, Mary Rose [D-OH-20] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Owens, Major R. [D-NY-12] · D · Sponsor
- Rep. Stokes, Louis [D-OH-21] · D · Sponsor
- · hsif00 · Standing
Related records
No cross-record relationships stored yet.
Sources
PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.
- Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/house-bill/1855
- Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/99/hr/1855
- us · 99-hr-1855 · source updated 29 August 2025