§ 20-52.1. Manufacturer's certificate of transfer of new motor vehicle.
§20‑52.1. Manufacturer's certificate of transfer of new motor vehicle.
(a) Any manufacturertransferring a new motor vehicle to another shall, at the time of the transfer,supply the transferee with a manufacturer's certificate of origin assigned tothe transferee.
(b) Any dealertransferring a new vehicle to another dealer shall, at the time of transfer,give such transferee the proper manufacturer's certificate assigned to thetransferee.
(c) Upon sale of a newvehicle by a dealer to a consumer‑purchaser, the dealer shall execute inthe presence of a person authorized to administer oaths an assignment of themanufacturer's certificate of origin for the vehicle, including in suchassignment the name and address of the transferee and no title to a new motorvehicle acquired by a dealer under the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) ofthis section shall pass or vest until such assignment is executed and the motorvehicle delivered to the transferee.
Any dealer transferring titleto, or an interest in, a new vehicle shall deliver the manufacturer'scertificate of origin duly assigned in accordance with the foregoing provisionto the transferee at the time of delivering the vehicle, except that where asecurity interest is obtained in the motor vehicle from the transferee inpayment of the purchase price or otherwise, the transferor shall deliver themanufacturer's certificate of origin to the lienholder and the lienholder shallforthwith forward the manufacturer's certificate of origin together with thetransferee's application for certificate of title and necessary fees to theDivision. Any person who delivers or accepts a manufacturer's certificate oforigin assigned in blank shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor, unless donein accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(d) When amanufacturer's statement of origin or an existing certificate of title on amotor vehicle is unavailable, a motor vehicle dealer licensed under Article 12of this Chapter may also transfer title to another by certifying in writing ina sworn statement to the Division that all prior perfected liens on the vehiclehave been paid and that the motor vehicle dealer, despite having usedreasonable diligence, is unable to obtain the vehicle's statement of origin orcertificate of title. The Division is authorized to develop a form for thispurpose. The filing of a false sworn certification with the Division pursuantto this subsection shall constitute a Class H felony. The dealer shall holdharmless the consumer‑purchaser from any damages arising from the use ofthe procedure authorized by this subsection. (1961, c. 835, s. 4; 1967, c.863; 1975, c. 716, s. 5; 1993, c. 539, s. 331; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s.14(c); 2000‑182, s. 1.)