NHTSA Complaint #10161994 — 2000 FORD FOCUS

MY DAUGHTER PURCHASED A 2000 FORD FOCUS FROM A DEALERSHIP IN BATON ROUGE LA AND DID NOT REALIZE THAT IT WAS "RECONSTRUCTED" THE CAR WAS NOT MARKED AS THAT NOR WAS IT MARKED OR WRITTEN ANYWHERE THAT THERE WERE NO AIRBAGS. THE AIRBAG COMPARTMENTS WERE STUFFED WITH STYROFOAM AND PLASTIC BAGS SO AS TO HIDE IT. NONE OF THIS WAS NONE TO US UNTIL SHE HAD AN ACCIDENT. THE TITLE DOES SAY "RECONSTRUCTED" HOWEVER SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS UNTIL THE ACCIDENT AND THAT IS WHEN WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE AIRBAGS AS WELL. SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT RECONSTRUCTED EVEN MEANT. THIS DEALERSHIP SPOKE TO ME AS WELL AS OUR INSURANCE COMPANY AND NEVER DIVULGED ANY OF THIS INFO, HAD THEY DONE SO THE SALE WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. IF MY DAUGHTER HAD BEEN IN A HEAD ON COLLISION SHE WOULD BE DEAD AS WELL AS THE PASSENGER AND MY 3 WEEK OLD GRAND-DAUGHTER. EVERY DEALERSHIP THAT I HAVE SPOKE TO AS WELL AS CHECKING INTO THE LAW STATE THAT 1. THE CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN MARKED "RECONSTRUCTED AND 2. A SEPARATE DISCLOSURE FOR THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AND NONE OF THIS WAS DONE. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE WERE NO AIRBAGS (WHICH COST $3600 TO REPLACE BECAUSE THE ENTIRE DASH HAS TO BE REPLACED) THE INSURANCE HAS TOTALED THE VEHICLE AND MY DAUGHTER IS BASICALLY LEFT WITH NOTHING BECAUSE OF A FRAUDULENT DEALERSHIP. I HAVE DOCUMENTATION AND PICTURES TO SEND AS PROOF, PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH AND E-MAIL. *JB