There is no country in the world that produces more passenger cars every year than the United States. According to studies the number is in excess of 250 million and that does not include light trucks. A very small number, actually less than one percent has repeatable problems that simply can’t be fixed but unfortunately these do end up on in a dealer’s showroom. Although the number is small the problem is huge for the unlucky consumers who end up with one of them, to protect these people every state has enacted some variation of lemon laws for cars.
If you are one of the unfortunate 150 thousand consumers who ends up with a lemon; knowing what a lemon is, how the car qualifies as a lemon and how you can get satisfaction is important. Let’s start with what qualifies as a lemon.
Although every state has a lemon law for cars there are variances but generally speaking the car must have a serious and substantial defect and the defect must be something that is covered by the warranty, the defect has to have appeared in a certain time frame or within a certain number of miles. As well as meeting these demands the defect has to be such that it cannot be rectified within a certain number of attempts.
The key word in the definition is “substantial.” All state lemon laws define “substantial defect” as one which has a negative impact on the value of the car, the use of the car and safety. If the car exhibits ongoing problems with the steering for example, it is covered by the lemon law. If the knobs on the radio keep falling off this defect is not considered one which impacts the use, value or safety of the car.
In every state the defect must occur within a certain time frame. Depending on the state this period can run from one to two years or if the defect period is not defined in time, it will be defined in miles driven. In states where mileage is the criteria it varies between 12 and 24,000 miles. In all cases the defect must not be the result of abuse.
If you have ended up with a lemon and it meets the requirements laid down by your state you have the right to demand a refund of the purchase price or a replacement vehicle. The majority of states require that there be arbitration before the case goes to court.
To discover more info visit the site yourlemonlawrights.com.
