When you consider the volume of cars that are manufactured in the United States every year, one percent that ends up being classified as a lemon is not bad; unless of course it’s your new car. To help consumers who find themselves trying to deal with a new car that has repeated occurrences of an unfixable problem, every state has a car lemon law. To take full advantage of these laws it is important that new car buyers have at least an understanding of what qualifies as a lemon and what recourse they have.
What qualifies as a lemon?
Every state has its own version of lemon laws, there are minor differences from one state to another but basically a car is a lemon if it has a substantial defect, covered by warranty that has a detrimental effect on the use, value or safety of the vehicle.
The key word in this definition is “substantial.” There is a fine line between a minor defect and a substantial defect; it depends to a great extent who is defining it. In all states this “substantial defect” has to occur within a specified time frame or within a specified number of miles on the odometer. A claim will not be entertained if the defect is the result of vehicle abuse.
Attempts at repair:
The car lemon law is such that the manufacturer must be give a reasonable number of chances to repair the defect before it can be declared that the vehicle is a lemon. Once again, there are differences in the law from state to state but generally the following standards apply:
* A serious safety defect must be repaired in two attempts
* Other, less serious defects must be repaired in three or four attempts, and
* If the vehicle is in for repairs for 30 days in total for the same problem, it is a lemon.
Once your car has been declared a lemon you have the right to a full refund or a replacement car of equal value.
The car lemon law provides consumers with recourse in the event the new car they purchase has an unfixable fault covered by the vehicle warranty. For a full description f the law in your state you are invited to visit us
