Car repairs, maintenance and safety
Discover what your rights are when it comes to maintenance and safety of your car or vehicle.
Know your rights
Repairers must have a licence and hire certified tradespeople if they are doing any repairs that affect the:
- safety of a vehicle, or
- performance of a vehicle.
There is no obligation to hold a licence for businesses that install or replace accessories if they do not affect the vehicle’s safety or performance. However, all businesses must comply with their obligations under the Australian Consumer Law.
Talk it over
Read our tips on how you can resolve an issue when things go wrong.
Contact the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities if your complaint is about:
- vehicle safety faults caused by the design of a vehicle
- a breach of a mandatory standard such as the Australian Design Rules. Check if your vehicle is affected by the Takata airbag recall. If your vehicle is affected, please refer to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s recall notice.
Making a complaint
When lodging a complaint, you should include:
- the details of the complaint
- the vehicle identification
- any related documents such as quotes, reports or invoices.
How Fair Trading will handle your complaint
Find out how we can help with your matter by visiting our vehicle warranty and repair disputes page.
After lodging your complaint, an assessment will determine:
- the issues of the dispute and options to help resolve the complaint
- if there has been a breach of the law
- if another organisation can deal with the matter or an NSW Fair Trading Automotive Inspector.
You can lodge a complaint:
Online
By mail
Post your complaint form and documentation (PDF 672.61KB) to:
NSW Fair Trading
PO Box 972
Parramatta NSW 2124
Ask a question
If you are unable to find the information you need, you can call us on 13 32 20 between 8:30am to 5pm on Monday to Friday. You can also use our form to make an enquiry.