5 Things Everyone Needs To Know About the Lemon Law

It feels great to own a vehicle, and one of the reasons for satisfaction is the manufacturer’s warranty to cover your vehicle for some period. When something goes wrong with your car within the warranted period, you can take it back to dealers who will fix it for you.

In some situations, the problem with your car won’t go away after several trips to the dealers, and that is when you realize you bought a lemon. Gratefully states have enacted Lemon Laws to protect consumers who find their vehicles defective and consumers get compensated.

1. Not all vehicles quality as lemons

For your vehicle to classify as lemon, it must have undergone substantial defects that the dealers had not fixed in several attempts. Defects must occur within the warranty period and not after. The defects impact vehicles by impairing their use, for example, faulty breaks. Minor flaws such as loose door handles are not legally recognized in some states, so you cannot make a lemon claim with them.

If one or two substantial defects occur within the warranted time and you are still using the vehicle and problems persist after the warranty has expired, you can make claims, and the lemon law will protect you. Cars destroyed by owners do not qualify as lemons and can never be compensated.

2. Remedies

Vehicle owners either get a refund or a replacement if their vehicle qualifies as lemons. You must notify your manufacturers first, who would have already realized the problems with your vehicle in the number of times you seek their help in solving problems. If they fail to compensate or go below your expectation, you will seek the protection of lemons law with the help of a qualified lawyer. The compensation amount will be lower due to depreciation. The longer the period you wait, the higher the depreciation.

3. Arbitration

Manufacturers can compensate your vehicle at a good deal, and you do not have to go to court. Do not be pressured to accept a settlement that is not satisfying to you as a consumer. If you go to court, make sure all the records of the repair process are updated. Maintain copies for all the procedures to prove you deserve to be compensated. The arbitration for lemon laws is free, and the attorney works on a contingency basis; therefore, do not worry about the cost.

4. Manufacturers’ warranty is considered

To successfully make a lemon law claim, you must justify that you are the vehicle owner by providing paperwork. Maybe you are worried if you will get covered if your car is operating currently and modified a few things. If you file a lemon claim, manufacturers will compensate you comprehensively as long as it has substantial defects that have proved difficult to fix. However, the manufacturer will not cover the price of installed items.

5. Leased vehicles consumer protect

Contrary to what is commonly perceived, lemon laws cover leased vehicles too. You are required to rent with a warranty since only warranted vehicles qualify to make lemon law claims. Privately bought vehicles are not protected because owners bought them at relatively low prices.

Vehicles are not perfectly made. In-fact nothing is made perfect. That is why a warranty is essential for costly items in the market. It is not easy to tell to what extent your vehicle qualifies to be a lemon; that is why you need to consult a lemon law attorney soon as long as the problems fail to disappear. The attorney will help you if your vehicle is indeed a lemon and ensure manufacturers compensate in maximum.

Related

Automobile Class Actions and Settlements

Read next...