Mass. Gen. Laws » Part IV Title I Chapter 266
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 141 (2026)

Tampering with odometer of motor vehicle; intent to defraud; civil remedy; treble damages; costs and fees; unfair competition; repair or replacement excepted

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MAmalegislature.gov (official) JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Section 141. Whoever advertises for sale, sells, uses, installs or has installed any device which causes an odometer to register any mileage other than the true mileage driven, or whoever resets, or alters the odometer of any motor vehicle with the intent to change the number of miles indicated thereon, or whoever, with the intent to defraud, operates a motor vehicle on any street or highway knowing that the odometer of such vehicle is disconnected to nonfunctional, shall be liable in a civil action of tort or contract in an amount equal to the sum of three times the amount of actual damages sustained or one thousand five hundred dollars, whichever is the greater, plus the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court.

A violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute an unfair method of competition under chapter ninety-three A.

For the purposes of this section, the true mileage driven shall be that mileage traveled by the motor vehicle as registered by the odometer within the manufacturer's designed tolerance.

The term ''odometer'', as used in this section and in section one hundred and forty-one A, shall mean an instrument for measuring and recording the actual distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation; but shall not include any auxiliary odometer designed to be reset by the operator of the motor vehicle for the purpose of recording mileage on trips.

Nothing in this section and section one hundred and forty-one A shall prevent the service, repair or replacement of an odometer, provided the mileage indicated thereon remains the same as before the service, repair or replacement. Where the odometer is incapable of registering the same mileage as before such service, repair or replacement, the odometer shall be adjusted to read zero and a notice in writing shall be attached to the left door frame of the vehicle by the owner or his agent specifying the mileage prior to repair or replacement of the odometer and the date on which it was repaired or replaced.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases, 1980–2009 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Colonial Motor Sales, Inc., 420 N.E.2d 20 (Mass. App. Ct. 1981).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Commonwealth v. Colonial Motor Sales, Inc., 420 N.E.2d 20 (Mass. App. Ct. 1981). · cites it 2× “” G. L. c. 266, § 141. Intent to defraud need not be proved; such an intent is required only with regard to driving a car “knowing that the odometer of .”
Hampshire Vill. Assocs. v. Dist. Court of Hampshire, 408 N.E.2d 830 (Mass. 1980). “231, § 85J (fraud or deceit in sale of personal property); G. L. c. 266, § 141 (misrepresentation in sale of odometer).”
Martha's Vineyard Auto Vill., Inc. v. Newman, 569 N.E.2d 401 (Mass. App. Ct. 1991). “Corey testified to various incidents of odometer tampering by the defendants’ employees — a deceptive practice according to c.”
Corcoran v. Healey, 1981 Mass. App. Div. 83 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div. 1981). · cites it 4× “The defendant denied that the plaintiff was entitled to relief under either G.L.c. 266, § 141 or G.L.c. 93A. *84 The trial judge found for the plaintiff in the sum of $1,500.”
Fay v. O'Connell, 1990 Mass. App. Div. 141 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div. 1990). · cites it 7× “Finally, the defendant is aggrieved by the court’s judgment based on G.Lc. 266, §141 in that the defendant did not inform the plaintiff prior to the sale that the odometer had been changed and did not accurately reflect the truck’s true mileage.”
Rodrigues v. Barboza Ford World, 1995 Mass. App. Div. 101 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div. 1995). · cites it 2× “This is an action concerning the tampering of an odometer, G.L.c. 266, §141, violation of G.Lc. 93A and breach of contract.”
Roach v. Middleton Auto Sales, Inc., 623 F. Supp. 2d 139 (D. Mass. 2009). “Roach further alleged that all of the defendants violated the Massachusetts Odometer Act, see Mass. Gen. Laws c. 266, § 141, and Massachusetts General Laws chapter 93A, and breached the warranty of title.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.