If you are a new car owner, the last thing you want is to find yourself stuck with a vehicle that has one recurring problem after another. Even a car with the same problem that simply cannot be fixed should not be the case. The term used to refer to these vehicles is lemon cars.
Thousands of consumers file complaints about defective vehicles (lemon cars) to various organizations and protection agencies every year. Fortunately, many states in America have enacted laws to protect innocent consumers in such situations. These laws are commonly referred to as lemon laws and require the manufacturer to repair, replace, or refund your money if they fail to resolve the problem.
This quick guide will give a better understanding of how lemon law works. We will also examine what qualifies a car as a lemon, the lemon law process, and how long a case takes.
What Is a Lemon Car?
A lemon car is a vehicle with recurring defects that impacts its safety, usability, and value. These defects include issues with:
- Engines
- Brakes
- Transmissions
- Steering
In addition, a lemon car can have recurring electrical problems, faulty air conditioning, and other issues that remain unresolved after several repair attempts. The defects should be significant enough to primarily impact the car's performance, making it unreliable or dangerous to drive.
How Does a Car Qualify for a Lemon Law?
Generally, a car qualifies for lemon law if it meets the following criteria:
- Multiple attempts to repair haven't fixed the car's defect
- The car's defect presents a concern for safety
- The car meets the state's criteria for mileage or time since the purchase limit
- You did not cause the defect
Notably, each state has specific lemon laws to qualify for lemon law protection. The table below presents three states as examples that show the varying requirements.
| State | Unsuccessful repair attempts | Out of service | Miles since purchase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 4 | 30 calendar days | 15,000 |
| Washington | 4 | 15–30 calendar days | 12,000–24,000 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 20 calendar days | 24,000 |
What Is a Lemon Law?
Lemon law is a legal statute that protects innocent consumers who buy a defective vehicle. This law prevents the consumer from being stuck with a product that fails to work as intended, despite repeated attempts by experts to fix it.
In such situations, the manufacturer is required to resolve the matter. For example, the buyback lemon law requires the manufacturer to repurchase the defective car for a price that reflects its current value—minus the applicable deduction.
However, lemon law requires the consumer to allow the manufacturer to repair the defect before replacing or refunding their money.
What Does a Lemon Law Cover?
Logically, Lemon Laws only cover vehicles that meet the criteria for a lemon vehicle. The following are the areas the law considers:
- A defective new or used car sold (with a valid car bill of sale) with a written warranty.
- Defects that cannot be repaired after several attempts at repair and pose a risk to the life of the owner
- Manufacturer's failure to comply with the stipulated terms of service.
- Manufacturer's failure to fix the problem within a reasonable time
- The manufacturer issued secret warranties
- Compensation of incidental costs
- Attorney fees and court costs
Since state laws differ, you need to consult your state's lemon law guidelines to determine eligibility for compensation. Afterward, you can work with a legal professional to help you file a lemon claim and navigate the legal process.
Lemon Law Process
The Lemon law process gives consumers a straightforward method of fighting for their consumer rights. It helps them receive a new car or get compensation for the troubles the defective car caused. The specifics of the lemon law process vary by state, but the general steps are as follows:
- Identify that your car meets the eligibility requirement in your state for a lemon car.
- Notify the manufacturer in writing that you believe your car is a lemon and request repair, replacement, or refund.
- Give the manufacturer time to repair the vehicle. It may involve taking your car to authorized repair stations for several repair attempts.
- Document the repair attempts—Include the dates, issues identified, repair actions, and the mechanic's recommendations.
- Consider arbitration if your state requires the manufacturer first to offer arbitration to resolve the lemon law dispute.
- File a lemon law claim if you did not resolve the issue through arbitration. File it with your state's consumer protection agency or the court system.
- Attend the hearing or trial and present your case with supporting evidence. The manufacturer will also defend their position.
- Receive compensation if the claim is successful—in the form of a refund, repair costs, or replacement.
If the claim is unsuccessful, you may explore other legal options, such as appealing the decision.
How Long Does The Lemon Law Process Take
The lemon law process can take between ninety days to a year depending on factors such as:
- Notification and repair attempts
- The case complexity
- The state laws and procedural requirements
- Whether the case goes to arbitration or litigation
If the repairs take longer than expected, your ability to proceed to the next step will be affected. Further, a case that goes to arbitration ends within days compared to a litigation case where you must adhere to the court's program.
Does the Lemon Law Apply to Used Vehicles?
It depends on the state. But generally, lemon laws mainly apply to new vehicles under warranty. However, some states have extended the lemon laws to cover used vehicles. They include:
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
When the state's lemon law covers a used vehicle, it must meet certain requirements. For example, the used car must have been sold with a warranty or had been within a particular age or mileage at the time of purchase.
Having the proper documents when purchasing a new or used car will help you meet part of the criteria for a lemon law. LawDistrict offers you various documents, such as a car bill of sale, invoice template, and purchase agreement, as evidence when needed. Visit our page for more financial documents you can use.
Helpful Resources:
Lemon Laws by State - DMV Lemon Laws - The Center for Auto Safety
If you are a new car owner, the last thing you want is to find yourself stuck with a vehicle that has one recurring problem after another. Even a car with the same problem that simply cannot be fixed should not be the case. The term used to refer to these vehicles is lemon cars.
Thousands of consumers file complaints about defective vehicles (lemon cars) to various organizations and protection agencies every year. Fortunately, many states in America have enacted laws to protect innocent consumers in such situations. These laws are commonly referred to as lemon laws and require the manufacturer to repair, replace, or refund your money if they fail to resolve the problem.
This quick guide will give a better understanding of how lemon law works. We will also examine what qualifies a car as a lemon, the lemon law process, and how long a case takes.
What Is a Lemon Car?
A lemon car is a vehicle with recurring defects that impacts its safety, usability, and value. These defects include issues with:
- Engines
- Brakes
- Transmissions
- Steering
In addition, a lemon car can have recurring electrical problems, faulty air conditioning, and other issues that remain unresolved after several repair attempts. The defects should be significant enough to primarily impact the car's performance, making it unreliable or dangerous to drive.
How Does a Car Qualify for a Lemon Law?
Generally, a car qualifies for lemon law if it meets the following criteria:
- Multiple attempts to repair haven't fixed the car's defect
- The car's defect presents a concern for safety
- The car meets the state's criteria for mileage or time since the purchase limit
- You did not cause the defect
Notably, each state has specific lemon laws to qualify for lemon law protection. The table below presents three states as examples that show the varying requirements.
| State | Unsuccessful repair attempts | Out of service | Miles since purchase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 4 | 30 calendar days | 15,000 |
| Washington | 4 | 15–30 calendar days | 12,000–24,000 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 20 calendar days | 24,000 |
What Is a Lemon Law?
Lemon law is a legal statute that protects innocent consumers who buy a defective vehicle. This law prevents the consumer from being stuck with a product that fails to work as intended, despite repeated attempts by experts to fix it.
In such situations, the manufacturer is required to resolve the matter. For example, the buyback lemon law requires the manufacturer to repurchase the defective car for a price that reflects its current value—minus the applicable deduction.
However, lemon law requires the consumer to allow the manufacturer to repair the defect before replacing or refunding their money.
What Does a Lemon Law Cover?
Logically, Lemon Laws only cover vehicles that meet the criteria for a lemon vehicle. The following are the areas the law considers:
- A defective new or used car sold (with a valid car bill of sale) with a written warranty.
- Defects that cannot be repaired after several attempts at repair and pose a risk to the life of the owner
- Manufacturer's failure to comply with the stipulated terms of service.
- Manufacturer's failure to fix the problem within a reasonable time
- The manufacturer issued secret warranties
- Compensation of incidental costs
- Attorney fees and court costs
Since state laws differ, you need to consult your state's lemon law guidelines to determine eligibility for compensation. Afterward, you can work with a legal professional to help you file a lemon claim and navigate the legal process.
Lemon Law Process
The Lemon law process gives consumers a straightforward method of fighting for their consumer rights. It helps them receive a new car or get compensation for the troubles the defective car caused. The specifics of the lemon law process vary by state, but the general steps are as follows:
- Identify that your car meets the eligibility requirement in your state for a lemon car.
- Notify the manufacturer in writing that you believe your car is a lemon and request repair, replacement, or refund.
- Give the manufacturer time to repair the vehicle. It may involve taking your car to authorized repair stations for several repair attempts.
- Document the repair attempts—Include the dates, issues identified, repair actions, and the mechanic's recommendations.
- Consider arbitration if your state requires the manufacturer first to offer arbitration to resolve the lemon law dispute.
- File a lemon law claim if you did not resolve the issue through arbitration. File it with your state's consumer protection agency or the court system.
- Attend the hearing or trial and present your case with supporting evidence. The manufacturer will also defend their position.
- Receive compensation if the claim is successful—in the form of a refund, repair costs, or replacement.
If the claim is unsuccessful, you may explore other legal options, such as appealing the decision.
How Long Does The Lemon Law Process Take
The lemon law process can take between ninety days to a year depending on factors such as:
- Notification and repair attempts
- The case complexity
- The state laws and procedural requirements
- Whether the case goes to arbitration or litigation
If the repairs take longer than expected, your ability to proceed to the next step will be affected. Further, a case that goes to arbitration ends within days compared to a litigation case where you must adhere to the court's program.
Does the Lemon Law Apply to Used Vehicles?
It depends on the state. But generally, lemon laws mainly apply to new vehicles under warranty. However, some states have extended the lemon laws to cover used vehicles. They include:
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
When the state's lemon law covers a used vehicle, it must meet certain requirements. For example, the used car must have been sold with a warranty or had been within a particular age or mileage at the time of purchase.
Having the proper documents when purchasing a new or used car will help you meet part of the criteria for a lemon law. LawDistrict offers you various documents, such as a car bill of sale, invoice template, and purchase agreement, as evidence when needed. Visit our page for more financial documents you can use.
Helpful Resources:
Lemon Laws by State - DMV Lemon Laws - The Center for Auto Safety
Most Popular Posts
An eviction filed by your landlord hurts your credit report. It is also held as a public record and other landlords can view your previous rental...
As a property owner knowing squatter rights is crucial. These aren’t your ordinary delinquent tenants and knowing how the law treats them is...