Not upheld: quality of goods - satisfactory quality of used vehicle complaint against Toyota Financial Services (UK) PLC

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs G purchased a used car via hire purchase agreement in June 2023 for £29,649. The car was four years old with 21,017 miles at acquisition. Starting in May 2025, approximately two years and 21,500 additional miles later, Mrs G experienced repeated DPF system failures requiring multiple replacements. She complained that the car was not of satisfactory quality and wanted to return it. The ombudsman found that the two-year timeframe and distance traveled before the first failure were too long to reasonably conclude the fault was present at the time of supply, and that the car had demonstrated adequate durability for a used vehicle of its age and price. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which requires goods to be of satisfactory quality. For a used car, a reasonable person would consider the age, mileage, and price when assessing satisfactory quality. Although the DPF system failed, Mrs G was able to drive the car for approximately two years and 21,500 miles before problems became evident. This timeframe and distance were too long to reasonably conclude the fault was present at the time of sale. The ombudsman noted that DPF systems are complex and can fail for various reasons including environmental conditions and driving styles, not necessarily indicating an inherent manufacturing fault. The subsequent multiple DPF failures do not prove the car was faulty at supply, and could indicate repair issues rather than an original defect.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website