Lemon Law
The lemon law varies across the United States, but if consumers feel they have been unwillingly sold a defective car, truck, motorcycle, SUV, RV or boat, they can sometimes qualify to get their money back or a trade-in replacement. If a consumer’s vehicle continues to have defects that impair its safety, use or value, then it’s probably a lemon car. Generally speaking, if the car has been repaired four or more times for the same defect during the warranty period, then it will qualify as a “lemon.” The defect cannot be something trivial like peeling paint or a harmless rattling sound, however.
The federal law defines a lemon as any new vehicle that has a serious defect that isn’t fixed within “a reasonable number” of attempts or after “a certain number of days” out of service. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the buyer is protected for any product costing more than $25 that comes with a written warranty. The Uniform Commercial Code allows for consumers to get a refund or replacement for “lemon” products. As one can see, these federal laws are vague at best. It’s the state-specific laws that really specify what restitution is given for the defect and what constitutes as a lemon purchase.
Florida’s lemon law applies to new or demonstrator vehicles that are bought or leased. The Florida lemon law does not cover semi trucks, off-road vehicles, resale vehicles or motorcycles, or even a moped. Consumers must report the defect to the dealer during the first 24 months after the date of delivery. At that point, the dealer has the opportunity to attempt to fix the problem. The vehicle may then return to the manufacturer for up to three more times or be off the road for 15 days before a “defect notification form” may be filed. They may also be eligible for a refund or trade-in.
Sometimes consumers win their lemon law cases because vehicle histories are attached to the VIN number. So titles, buy-backs, recalls, minor and moderate collision damage and previous owners can all be looked up by a reporting service. In many instances, vehicles were poorly rebuilt following an accident. Some vehicles were even tampered with to show lower mileage, hide mechanical defects or make corrosion look less severe. Lemon law lawyers aren’t 100% necessary but many people who hire them feel they are better represented and more informed during the complaint process.
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