Second-hand cars bought from independent dealers topped the list of the 10 most-complained-about consumer issues between April and June.

Citizens' Advice consumer service dealt with 12,000 complaints about such vehicles, which equalled 8% of all cases it dealt with.

The number was three times as many complaints as those made about used cars bought from private sellers and franchise dealerships.

Callers spent £55 million on used cars from independent dealers where the car or the assistance from the dealer was not up to scratch.

More than one in 10 of the complaints revolved around sales people giving misleading information about the vehicle, and two-thirds of the complaints were about the car being faulty.

The charity's Citizens' Advice Bureaus in England and Wales also dealt with more than 3,500 problems about second-hand cars including the car being unsafe or not working properly.

The full top 10 consumer complaints between April and June 2012 were:

1. Used cars bought from an independent dealer

2. Problems with upholstered furniture

3. Mobile phone contracts

4. Repairs from an independent garage

5. Problems with women's clothing

6. Mobile phone handsets

7. Building work

8. Troublesome TVs

9. Laptops, notebooks and tablet PCs

10. Second-hand cars bought from a franchise dealer