The average price Americans pay for a new car is $47,000. For most, this is a significant investment.
Regardless of if you buy new or used, you have expectations. For example, once you make this investment, you expect the vehicle to keep you safe and run well for multiple years.
However, if you purchase a “lemon,” you may wonder what protections you have. Thankfully, there are lemon laws in place to protect you and ensure you receive compensation if you discover you have purchased a lemon.
Keep reading to learn some lemon law facts and what rights you have.
1. What Are Lemon Laws?
Lemon laws are designed to protect consumers. The goal is to provide a safety net for anyone who purchases a defective item.
Automotive lemon laws protect you when you purchase a vehicle that winds up being defective. Under these laws, the manufacturer must make repairs to the vehicle within a reasonable amount of time.
If this doesn’t happen or if the manufacturer cannot do this, they must refund the person’s money or provide a replacement vehicle.
2. Your Vehicle Must Qualify as a Lemon for Lemon Laws to Apply
To have a vehicle classified as a lemon, it must have significant defects that dealers failed to fix after multiple attempts. Defects must occur in the warranty period, not after it passes for car lemon laws to apply.
Also, the defects must impact the vehicle by impairing its use. One example would be faulty brakes.
Minor issues, such as loose door handles, aren’t recognized in all states, which means you can’t make a lemon claim.
If one or more significant defects occur within the period that is under warranty and you still use the vehicles while the issues are present, you can make a claim. In this situation, the lemon law protects you.
3. Understanding the Potential Time Period for Lemon Law Claims
When it comes to lemon law Q&A, people’s most common question is how long the process will take.
It depends on whether the dealer who sold you your vehicle can repair it and how persistent you communicate with them. You also must pay attention to the filing deadlines, respond to manufacturer correspondence, and pay any lemon law fees.
You must maintain detailed records of all repairs, copies of your receipts, logs of phone calls, and any other related information. There are several aspects of filing a lemon law claim, and it will probably take a few months to resolve your case.
Understanding Lemon Laws
When it comes to facts about lemon laws, as you can see, there are more than a few things to know and understand. The information above provides you with a brief overview of what lemon laws are and how they protect you.
If you are searching for more helpful information and resources, make sure you take the time to look at our other blogs. We cover various topics, including everything from legal and business to real estate, relationships, and healthy living.
