Warranty violations have become the leading cause of complaints for new cars in Panama. Last year, the Authority for Consumer Protection and Competition Defense (Acodeco) handled a total of 261 complaints from new car buyers, with a total amount of B/.6,201,919.36. Statistical analysis revealed that warranty breaches were the predominant reason, with 202 complaints totaling B/.5,257,488.32. If the manufacturer's warranty is more favorable, it must be provided in writing to the consumer. Acodeco recommends that affected individuals document each case by keeping contracts, invoices, and repair orders to facilitate the complaint process in case of any breach by the dealership. Other factors that generated complaints included a lack of information, hidden defects, failure to provide services, and refunds. To a lesser extent, cases of overcharging, abusive clauses, breach of contract, custody of the asset, and lack of truth in advertising were recorded. Among the companies with 10 or more complaints were Ricardo Pérez, S.A. (27), Petroautos, S.A. (22), Grupo Silaba (19), Grupo Q Investments, S.A. (17), Grupo Auto Comercial, S.A. (13), and Panamotor (13). The vehicle brands with the highest number of reports were Toyota (20), Chevrolet (17), Hyundai (16), Jetour (16), Changan (12), KIA (12), and Nissan (12).
