Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-102

§32703 Preventing Tampering

Title 49 › SUBTITLE VI — MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS › PART C — INFORMATION, STANDARDS, AND REQUIREMENTS › CHAPTER 327 — ODOMETERS › § 32703

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

No one may sell, promote, install, or use a device that makes an odometer show mileage different from the miles actually driven beyond the odometer maker's allowed accuracy. No one may disconnect, reset, or alter an odometer to change the mileage, drive to cheat when the odometer is known to be not working, or plan with others to violate this rule or sections 32704 or 32705.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §32703

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

A person may not—
(1)advertise for sale, sell, use, install, or have installed, a device that makes an odometer of a motor vehicle register a mileage different from the mileage the vehicle was driven, as registered by the odometer within the designed tolerance of the manufacturer of the odometer;
(2)disconnect, reset, alter, or have disconnected, reset, or altered, an odometer of a motor vehicle intending to change the mileage registered by the odometer;
(3)with intent to defraud, operate a motor vehicle on a street, road, or highway if the person knows that the odometer of the vehicle is disconnected or not operating; or
(4)conspire to violate this section or section 32704 or 32705 of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Pub. L. 103–272 Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 32703(1)15:1983.Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, § 403, 86 Stat. 962; July 14, 1976, Pub. L. 94–364, § 402, 90 Stat. 983. 32703(2)15:1984.Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, §§ 404, 405, 86 Stat. 962; restated July 14, 1976, Pub. L. 94–364, §§ 403, 404, 90 Stat. 983. 32703(3)15:1985. 32703(4)15:1986.Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, § 406, 86 Stat. 962. In clause (1), the words “the mileage the vehicle was driven, as registered by the odometer within the designed tolerance of the manufacturer of the odometer” are substituted for “the true mileage driven. For purposes of this section, the true mileage driven is that mileage driven by the vehicle as registered by the odometer within the manufacturer’s designed tolerance” to eliminate unnecessary words. In clause (3), the words “public” and “road” are added for consistency in this subtitle. Pub. L. 103–429This amends 49:32703(3) to correct an error in the codification enacted by section 1 of the Act of July 5, 1994 (Public Law 103–272, 108 Stat. 1049).

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Par. (3). Pub. L. 103–429 struck out “public” before “street”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–429 effective July 5, 1994, see section 9 of Pub. L. 103–429, set out as a note under section 321 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 32703

Title 49, Transportation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102