After suspending the license of a St. Clair County car dealership for several violations of the Michigan Vehicle Code on Nov. 4, the Michigan Department of State has now reissued the license of LaFontaine Chevrolet Buick GMC of St. Clair Inc.
“We have reached an agreement, and the suspension has been lifted,” state officials said in an email Thursday, Nov. 6, to the Free Press.
State officials earlier this week said the car dealership violated existing/current probation and the alternative penalty agreement previously imposed by the agency, committed fraudulent acts in connection with selling or otherwise dealing in vehicles by presenting and selling used cars to customers as new vehicles and failed to properly complete title and registration applications by falsely indicating used cars as new.
In a news release, state officials also stated that the car dealership was selling vehicles with up to 6,000 miles as new.
LaFontaine in St. Clair allegedly sold used loaner vehicles as new
“Within a day of receiving the suspension notice, the State of Michigan fully lifted the suspension, and as of the following day, LaFontaine Chevrolet Buick GMC St. Clair was 100% back in business across both sales and service operations,” Max Muncey, spokesman for the LaFontaine Automotive Group, said in an email to the Free Press Thursday.
“This issue was purely administrative in nature — stemming from confusion between automaker program requirements, dealer processes, and the state’s outdated regulatory statutes. Frankly, the speed at which this matter was resolved reinforces our belief that the initial action was more of a headline-driven move by the state than a substantive compliance concern. Importantly, there was no imminent threat to public safety, no systemic “scheme,” and absolutely no guest impact whatsoever. Our commitment to integrity, transparency, and the trust of our guests remains unwavering, and we continue to operate in full partnership with both our automaker and lender partners.”
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.

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