When you have so many complications with a brand new car that it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, that's when you know you have a lemon, a car that is essentially beyond repair. What can you do when faced with such a problem? Fortunately, the legislatures of most states have provided remedies.
What is a Lemon
A lemon is a vehicle that has poor build quality and needs multiple repairs. Simply put, a lemon car is a new car that needs so many repairs and has so many malfunctions that it ultimately inconveniences its owner so much that it should be replaced. Lemons may have one repeated malfunction or multiple malfunctions.
When Do You Know If You Have a Lemon?
The definition of a lemon varies from state to state, and so you need to check with the proper authorities and consumer protection agencies to get the exact definitions. However, in general, a brand new car becomes a lemon if within 2 years of its purchase it has a total of three or four unsuccessful repair attempts for the same malfunction or a total of 15 to 20 days spent in a repair facility for multiple problems.
Lemon Remedies
There are quite a few remedies once a lemon-law process is initiated. The first possible remedy would be that the car is finally fixed and no further problems occur. If the car cannot be fixed to the owner's satisfaction, the manufacturer and dealer will either have to purchase the car back from the consumer or provide some sort of compensation for the lower quality of the car. When a car is purchased back, it is common to deduct any miles driven from the original purchase price of the vehicle.
How to Initiate a Lemon Law Complaint or Lawsuit
The first thing any vehicle owner should do is keep records of any and all repairs and servicing, as these will serve as the basis of any allegation or complaint. If a dealer or a shop refuses to provide you with documentation of the repairs, contact your state's motor vehicle department immediately. Once you have gathered all the evidence, you should contact your state's department of consumer affairs and file a formal complaint. Most states have an online website with a simple form to be filled out. Once the process is initiated, a state representative will contact you to proceed further. What usually follows is an arbitration process in which the government represents you free of charge until an adequate remedy is reached.
How Do Lemon Laws Protect Prospective Buyers?
Lemon laws also protect prospective buyers in two ways. First, vehicles deemed to be lemons cannot be re-sold without proper disclosure. Usually, if a consumer purchases a used vehicle, the dealer must disclose if the vehicle underwent any lemon law proceedings. Second, consumers are protected in general as car manufacturers and car dealers are forced to offer higher quality products and services or suffer losses under the lemon law-statutes.
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