Buying a new car is very exciting for the majority of people, next to their home a new car is usually a family’s second biggest investment. Nothing can be more depressing for the car to act up.
Take a simple example. A few days after you first get the car you pull up to a red light and the car stalls, you restart it and don’t give it much thought. A few days later the same thing happens again, you arrange to take it to the dealer for service and they can’t find any problem. You take the car home but it keeps stalling and you keep taking it back for repairs but the dealer swears there is nothing wrong. This is when you can be glad there are lemon laws for cars that can come to your rescue.
Every state has laws that have been written to protect consumers that purchase a car that is defective. These lemon laws have been put in place to give the consumer recourse should the car experience substantial defects within a specified time frame after purchase. If the car is defective in accordance with the lemon law for cars in the state the manufacturer is given two options; replace the car or buy it back.
What you should do if you think you have a lemon:
Make the dealer aware of the situation; give them a chance to repair the defect. Every time the car is in for repair everything should be fully documented. Keep a log of the dates the car is in the shop, the mileage, repair orders, invoices, etc. If you take the car in numerous times and it still does not perform as it should you are justified to demand that the manufacturer either give you a new car of equal spec and value or to refund all the money that you spent to purchase the car, pay taxes and registration.
Although the laws vary between states the normal number of times that the car is in for the same repair while under warranty is three or four. The amount of time that the car is in for repair usually is 30 days.
Lemon laws for cars only apply when the defect is serious, it must be one that jeopardizes the safety of the occupants, the use of the car or its value.
If you should purchase a vehicle that has a substantial defect that simply cannot be repaired, the lemon laws for cars in your state are in place to give you recourse. If you are looking for detailed information on the lemon laws in your state you are invited to visit the web site of Krohn & Moss Consumer Law Center.
