Car Lemon Law

Current information regarding Lemon Law is not always the easiest item to locate. Fortunately, this article includes the latest Lemon Law info available.

Lemon Law | Definition

The car lemon law is intended to defend consumers from irreparable manufacturer's defects in automobiles that should be covered by a car warranty.

Back in1972, when consumer outcry for lemon law protection begun to grow, over 1 million people were found to have bought vehicles with problems that the dealers could not, or would not, mend.

Connecticut and California were the first states to adopt an automobile lemon law. Other states were quick to follow. Today, with the increased accountability imposed by lemon laws, that number has diminished from the previous 1 million to about 100,000 new cases a year.

Lemon Law | What Does It Cover?

Although each American state has a car lemon law, the specifics of these laws vary widely. As a general guideline, you are a candidate for protection under the lemon law if you get a serious problem (or, in some cases, a number of lesser problems) that falls under your car warranty.

Type of Problems:

A problem is usually considered serious when it threatens the use, value, or safety of the auto. Examples of serious problems that would probably be covered under lemon law include brake failure,transmission problems, and repeated situations where the automobile won't start. The lemon law in most states will not cover cases of funny noises, loose cup holders, and peeling paint.

A life-threatening defect may necesitate only one attempt at repair before falling under the lemon law.

Type of Vehicle:

The type of vehicle is also important when it comes to protection under the lemon law. In some states, leased vehicles are covered as well as purchased vehicles. Some states exclude automobiles purchased for business purposes or special kinds of vehicles such as RVs and motorcycles.

Even used vehicles may be covered by the lemon law, if they come with a car warranty.

Some unscrupulous car dealers write a clause in the sales contract that states that no lemon law claims can be made against the vehicle. These provisions, however, are not legally valid and can be ignored. As long as your vehicle has a car warranty and qualifies under the other automobile lemon law provisions, you will be covered no matter what you signed.

Before the automobile lemon law applies, you have to give the manufacturer ample opportunity to repair the problem. In most cases, this is defined as a specific number of repair attempts (for example, four attempts to repair the same problem) or a certain amount of time when the vehicle is out of commission (for example, four weeks).

You Qualify under the Automobile Lemon Law.

What Next?

If you think that you qualify for protection under the lemon law, you must file a claim with the manufacturer within a certain period of time. In most states, the case will then be brought for arbitration with the manufacturer. If you win your automobile lemon-law case, you will usually receive a replacement vehicle or a refund of your purchase price minus a fee for vehicle use.

Is there really any information about Lemon Cars and the Laws that regulate them, that you may think is non-essential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

Rocsanne Shield

rocsanne.medievalhearts.com/Automotive/LemonLaw

For More Information About 'Rocsanne's E-Store' Click Here