Lemon Law Complaints
Every state in the United States has lemon laws. These laws protect consumers in the event that they purchase vehicles or other products that are defective. You generally do not need an attorney in the first stages of dealing with a lemon vehicle; consult a lawyer if the dealer or manufacturer refuse to resolve the issue.
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Lemons Handled at State Level
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Each state has slightly different lemon laws. In general, each state considers vehicles to be lemons if they break down within a certain amount of time after being purchased. State laws differ as to the period of time that cars are covered under lemon laws. Most state laws do not cover used vehicles under their lemon laws.
Purpose of Lemon Laws
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Lemon laws protect consumers from wasting money on defective products, whether the defect was an accident of design or the result of dealing with a dishonest seller. These laws hold sellers and manufacturers responsible for defective vehicles, requiring them to attempt to repair or replace the vehicle. Consumers do not pay for replacement vehicles, including taxes and registration fees, if they purchase lemons.
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Good Practices to Follow
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If you believe your car may be a lemon, document all interactions with the dealer or manufacturer. Keep a journal where you record the time and date of any in-person or telephone conversations regarding the issues you are having with your vehicle, and summarize what was said during the conversations. Also, keep copies of all repair orders.
Procedure for Handling Lemons
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You must allow your dealer to attempt to repair the vehicle a certain number of times before contacting the manufacturer. If the dealer tells you that the problem is minor or does not need attention, ask to speak to a supervisor as well as documenting the incident. If the dealer is unable to repair the vehicle after making the number of attempts your state requires, send a certified letter to the manufacturer. Include information about the defect and all repairs and ask the manufacturer to replace the vehicle. If the manufacturer does not respond to you after a reasonable amount of time (the required amount of time differs from state to state), contact an attorney.
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