Complaint Trends
The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) mediates consumer complaints with the goal of obtaining a fair and appropriate resolution for both the consumer and the automotive repair dealer (ARD) involved in the repair transaction. BAR also uses the complaint mediation process to educate ARDs on the Automotive Repair Act and related laws and regulations to help avoid future complaints and to promote consumer confidence.
Complaint allegation trend information for July through December 2023 is provided in the table below. To learn more about complaint trends, view BAR’s quarterly enforcement statistics reports available on the BAR Advisory Group webpage at www.bar.ca.gov. Additional enforcement statistics, including performance measures to track the Department of Consumer Affairs' efficacy in managing the consumer complaint process, are available on the DCA Open Data Portal at www.dca.ca.gov.
Complaint Allegation Trends (July - December 2023)
| Trend | Total Received | % |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Repair and Performance Repair, diagnosis, cooling systems, fuel systems, etc. |
2,867 | 33% |
| General Repair and Maintenance Brakes, suspension, steering, air conditioning/heat, etc. |
1,577 | 18% |
| Auto Body Auto body repair, auto glass, etc. |
1,525 | 17% |
| Transmission Automatic transmission, manual transmission/clutch, etc. |
573 | 7% |
| Vehicle Warranty | 529 | 6% |
| Smog Smog repair, test procedures, etc. |
503 | 5% |
| Other Motorcycle repair, etc. |
455 | 5% |
| Used Car Transactions | 449 | 5% |
| Unlicensed Activity | 165 | 2% |
| Towing and Storage Towing, storage fees, and improper lien sales |
154 | 2% |