How to File a Complaint with OMVIC (and What Happens Next)

Photo: American Honda (Honda US Newsroom). 2026 Honda Passport. Part of the Car Buyer Protection Series by Henry Chen, Maple Honda, Vaughan.

OMVIC's Complaints & Inquiries Department is the place Ontario buyers turn when the dealer hasn't resolved the issue themselves. Most common complaints, OMVIC says, are about vehicle condition, liquidated damages, contract disputes, and misrepresentation — usually a failure to disclose the vehicle's accident history.

OMVIC's role is to review whether the dealer may have breached the MVDA. The department cannot force a dealer to cancel a contract, return money, or perform repairs. What it can do is investigate, escalate to a formal complaint, recommend voluntary resolution, and pursue administrative action against the dealer's registration.

The first step: try the dealer first

OMVIC's standard advice on first contact is to give the buyer information about how to resolve the dispute with the dealer directly. That's not bureaucracy — most issues really do get resolved at the dealership level when both sides are willing to talk. Start with the salesperson, escalate to the sales manager, then to the dealer principal or general manager if needed.

Document every conversation. Note dates, names, what was said, and what was agreed. If the dealer makes a commitment, ask for it in writing. If the dealer won't resolve the issue, then OMVIC's formal complaint process is the next step.

How the formal complaint works

• Call OMVIC at 1-800-943-6002 or use the online complaint form
• OMVIC will send you an OMVIC Complaint Process Acknowledgement Form (OCPAF) to sign and return
• Attach any supporting documentation — contract, photos, emails, repair invoices
• OMVIC assigns a Complaint Review Specialist (CRS) and contacts the dealer for a written response
• OMVIC examines the file and determines whether the dealer may have breached the MVDA
• Target turnaround is 45 days from the time the OCPAF is returned

Photo: American Honda (Honda US Newsroom). 2026 Honda Civic.

What OMVIC can and cannot do

OMVIC can investigate, recommend voluntary resolution, escalate to formal enforcement, and pursue administrative action against the dealer's registration. OMVIC's discipline tools include proposing to refuse, revoke, or suspend a dealer's registration, holding discipline hearings, and in serious cases pursuing charges under the Provincial Offences Act.

OMVIC cannot order a dealer to cancel a contract, return money, or perform repairs. Members of the Complaints & Inquiries Department are not adjudicators — they cannot decide who is right in a factual dispute. For monetary resolution, the path is either a negotiated settlement, civil court, or the Compensation Fund (if the situation qualifies).

The complaint types within OMVIC's jurisdiction

• Unpaid liens on a trade-in or sold vehicle
• Failure to deliver a financed vehicle
• Unpaid consignment deals
• Warranty non-submittals to the warranty provider
• Non-disclosure of accident history, previous use, or other required MVDA disclosures
• Misrepresentation of vehicle condition
• All-in pricing violations (advertised price doesn't include required fees)
• Failure to honour a deposit refund when no contract was signed

When OMVIC isn't the right path

If your issue is with a private seller, OMVIC can't help — private sales aren't regulated. Your path is civil court, your local police if fraud is involved, or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

If your issue is a quality dispute that doesn't involve an MVDA breach, OMVIC may decline to investigate. Quality disputes are typically handled through the manufacturer's warranty process, small claims court, or civil action.