Who Does the Lemon Law Protect?

The term lemon is given to an automobile that has defects that affect the use or safety of the vehicle, according to CarLemon.com. Lemon laws are in place to protect consumers from car dealers who knowingly sell defective cars.

Types of Law

Though their functions are the same, there are both federal and state lemon laws. These laws define both what a lemon is and how dealerships are penalized for selling the vehicles.

Defintion

The federal lemon law defines a lemon as any vehicle that requires three to four repairs for the same defect or six to eight repairs during the warranty period that the vehicle is guaranteed for by the dealership.

Features

In order to receive protection under lemon laws, you must hold onto documentation about your repairs, such as your receipts for maintenance and the invoices that state what was done to the car.

Filing a Claim

The process for filing a lemon law claim varies from state to state. If you believe you have purchased a lemon, contact an attorney for information about how to proceed.

Considerations

The lemon law does not protect you simply if you do not like your new car or if you were at fault for the defect because of recklessness or intentional damage.

References

• Lemon Law Information