NJ Odometer Statement: Completing Form OS/SS-2 and Filing It

New Jersey’s odometer disclosure statement is Form OS/SS-2, and it must be completed by the seller, signed by the buyer, and submitted to the Motor Vehicle Commission with the assigned title whenever ownership of a covered vehicle changes hands.¹ The title transfer package costs $60, or $85 if a lienholder is listed, and the buyer has 10 working days from the sale to file it before a $25 late penalty attaches.²

When the Form Is Required

Federal rules set the scope, and New Jersey follows them. Any vehicle from model year 2011 or newer needs a mileage disclosure on every transfer for the first 20 years after its model year. A 2011 model stays in the window through 2030.³ Vehicles from model year 2010 and older fell under an earlier 10-year rule, so all of them are now past the cutoff and exempt.⁴

A few categories are exempt regardless of age: vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating above 16,000 pounds, non-self-propelled equipment like trailers and towed campers, and vehicles sold directly by the manufacturer to a federal agency.³ If the vehicle qualifies as exempt, you can skip the OS/SS-2 entirely. Check the model year and the GVWR on the title or door sticker if you’re unsure.

Filling Out Form OS/SS-2

Download the form from the MVC’s forms page or pick one up at any MVC agency.⁵ The OS/SS-2 supplements the title; it does not replace it. The completed form has to travel with a fully assigned Certificate of Title or Manufacturer Certificate of Origin.¹

Vehicle Information

The top section asks for the Vehicle Identification Number, body type, model year, make, and model. Copy the VIN character by character from the title or the dashboard plate. One transposed digit can get the application rejected.

Mileage and Status

Write the odometer reading exactly as it appears on the dashboard, dropping any tenths. A reading of 87,432.6 goes down as 87,432. Then certify one of three statuses:

Actual mileage, meaning the number reflects the vehicle’s true total.
Exceeds mechanical limits, meaning the odometer has rolled past its maximum (99,999 or 999,999) and restarted at zero.
Not actual mileage, meaning the reading is unreliable for any other reason, such as a malfunction or known tampering.

Pick carefully. Checking the wrong box or leaving all three blank creates a discrepancy on the title that can follow the vehicle permanently.

Signatures

Both parties print their full legal names and current mailing addresses, then sign and date the form on the day of signing. Digital signatures are accepted, but each one must come with a Certificate of Completion.¹ Backdating or leaving the date blank is grounds for rejection, and any incomplete field gets the form sent back, which can delay the transfer by weeks.

Submitting It with the Title

The buyer brings the completed OS/SS-2, the signed-over title, proof of insurance, and valid identification to an MVC agency. The seller separately provides a bill of sale showing the buyer’s name and address, the sale date, the odometer reading, and the sale price.² The fee is $60, or $85 with a lien, and the 10-working-day clock starts on the date of sale. The MVC uses the submitted mileage to update its records and prints it on the new title certificate.

If you’re using the Universal Title Application (Form OS/SS-UTA) at the agency, its odometer section serves the same legal purpose, and a standalone OS/SS-2 is not also required. The standalone form is most useful when the title gets signed over at home but the buyer visits the MVC later.⁶

Correcting Mistakes and Replaced Odometers

Discrepancies do not go away once a title is issued. The MVC requires them to be resolved before the vehicle can be sold again.⁷

If the odometer was physically replaced, the current owner needs a signed statement from the mechanic who did the work. When a used odometer is installed, its mileage must be reset, and the last known mileage from the vehicle is added to any mileage on the replacement unit. The title then gets an “N/A” (not actual mileage) brand. The mechanic also has to affix a sticker on the driver-side door pillar showing the installation date, the last known mileage before the repair, and any mileage accumulated while the odometer was broken.⁷

To process the correction, mail the original title, the mechanic’s statement, the odometer purchase receipt, and a $60 check or money order payable to NJMVC to the Database Corrections Unit in Trenton.⁷

Why the Status Box Matters

When the mileage on a title is anything other than “actual,” the national vehicle database applies a brand that follows the car for life. A title marked “not actual mileage” or “odometer discrepancy” tells every future buyer, lender, and insurer that the recorded mileage cannot be trusted, and resale value drops accordingly because no one can reliably estimate wear or remaining life.

That is why the three checkboxes matter as much as the number itself. Marking “exceeds mechanical limits” or “not actual mileage” on a vehicle whose odometer is working correctly brands the title unnecessarily, and in most states that brand cannot be removed once applied. If you realize you checked the wrong box after submitting, contact the MVC’s Database Corrections Unit right away.

Penalties for False Disclosure

Lying on the OS/SS-2 or rolling back an odometer carries exposure at both federal and state levels. Anyone who knowingly and willfully tampers with an odometer or files a false disclosure faces up to three years in federal prison and criminal fines.⁸

On the civil side, a buyer who discovers fraud can sue the seller for three times actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees. The $10,000 floor applies even without proof of a specific dollar loss.⁹ New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act adds state-level treble damages for financial loss caused by the violation, attorney’s fees, and potential cancellation of fraudulent financing tied to the inflated value. The federal and state remedies stack, and the MVC’s title records make inconsistent mileage easy to spot across transfers.

1
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Odometer Disclosure Statement
2
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Transferring Vehicle Ownership
3
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.17 – Exemptions
4
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
5
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. NJ MVC Forms
6
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Universal Title Application
7
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Title Corrections
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32709 – Penalties and Enforcement
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32710 – Civil Actions by Private Persons