I have a question for you guys. When is a car considered a lemon. Does it have to be a certain number of repairs? Just Curious considering I've had just about everything wrong with my max (nothing really major just a lot of annoyances). Thanks guys.

 

Every state has different laws. Here are some faqs...

Q: What is the California Lemon Law?

A: The California lemon law allows a consumer to obtain either a refund or a new replacement vehicle if the manufacturer is unable to repair a defective vehicle and the defect(s) substantially affect the use, value or safety of the vehicle.

Q: What if my vehicle is older than 12 months or has more than 12,000 miles on the odometer?

A: There is a common misconception concerning the Lemon Law, that it only applies to vehicles that are less than one year old and have less than 12,000 miles. This is not true! The California lemon law applies to vehicles regardless of how old they are or how many miles they have. As long as the vehicle is having warranty problems, the Lemon Law may apply.

Q: How many times must I bring my vehicle back to the dealership for repairs?

A: If a vehicle is brought in for the same repair 4 or more times, or has been out of service for more than 30 days during the manufacturer's warranty period (typically 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first), your car may qualify under the California Lemon Law.

Q: What if my car is currently beyond original warranty period, can I still use the California lemon law?

A: If the defects you are currently experiencing first arose during the manufacturer's original warranty period and the dealership was given an opportunity to repair these defects prior to expiration of the warranty, you may be entitled to relief under the California lemon law.

Q: Does the Lemon Law apply to repairs covered by an extended warranty?

A: No. The extended warranty is essentially a service contract that covers repairs on vehicles after the manufacturer's warranty has expired. Although an extended warranty may appear to be similar to a manufacturer's warranty, it is not the same. The California Lemon Law requires that a defective vehicle be repaired under the manufacturer's original warranty in order for a consumer to be entitled to a refund or new replacement vehicle.

Q: Can I get the manufacturer to take my car back as a lemon and refund my money or give me a new replacement myself?

A: Probably Not!

All of the major auto manufacturers have "customer care" centers to deal with consumers who are having problems with their defective automobiles. In most cases, the representative will tell consumers they will investigate the consumer's claims and further review the situation or enlist the help of an area representative or the dealership to help you. Leading you to believe they are diligently working to resolve the situation, the manufacturer is simply delaying you from pursuing your legal rights under the California Lemon Law. The manufacturer realizes that many people will simply get fed up and sell their car or trade it in at the dealership.

In the rare instance where a manufacturer offers a refund or replacement, they often fail to pay the consumer his or her full entitlement under the Lemon Law. Consumers are routinely charged thousands of dollars in excessive mileage fees, taxes and other fees, for which the manufacturer would otherwise be responsible under the Lemon Law. Consumers are encouraged to seek legal counsel prior to accepting any offer made by the manufacturer. Since the California Lemon Law requires the manufacturer to pay our attorney's fees, there is no reason for you to represent yourself in these cases. Call Michael A. Saunders for a free consultation, or email us to learn about your rights under the California lemon law.


Toll Free 1-888-80-LEMON

 

im pretty sure lemon laws are different in each state. i dont think it covers when multiple repairs are needed only when one cannot be solved for a set number of times in a time period.

 

Michigan lemon law is having to take your car in more than 3 times for the same problem or if the dealership keeps your car for more than 30 days for a repair. Only applies to new cars (bought)

 

Not sure exactly but it's highly overrated. Basically unless you just bought the car and it keeps having the same damn problem, the lemon law isn't going to help you.

 

But the whole point of lemon law is to protect comsumers from having to bring in the car for the same problem over and over again.

 

Go to this website. It'll give you lemon law for each state. Good luck
http://www.nationallemonlawcenter.com/

Mike

 

Thanks for the info.

 

My car will be 10 years old on October 1. The only problems I have ever had are: 1) o2 sensor replaced on warranty about 6 years ago, 2) new battery 2 years ago, 3) blew out a side wall on the right rear Goodyear Eagle RSA stock tire about 20 months ago. Other than that absolutely nothing, but the car has only got 53,100 miles on it. Touch wood!

The car has about 80% highway miles and I don't drive it like I stole it. How long should the clutch last?

 

THe lemon law is there to protect the consumer but it isnt that easy to get. I bought a 2003 Jeep Wrangler last may and in the 1st 6k miles it developed a pinging noise coming from the drivetrain whenever id engage the gears. Well I took it in and they said i had a broken diff. cover. So they fixed that, but the noise was still there and it got worse. Then they replaced the gearing in the rear end, no problem for a little while but it came back. Then they tried again and replaced the driveshafts and yoke joints. Problem still came back after a week. that was 3 times for the same problem so i wrote to them about the lemon law. Jeep had some company tech come down and monkey with it swapping parts and left. They wrote me a letter saying that the jeep was "fixed" and no further action was required. I could try to take them to court if i liked but that woulda taken too long. It finally got so annoying i took it to another dealer and they replaced all the driveshafts and the rear end. Worked fine for about a month then the problem came back. So now im back with a maxima. Moral of the story is that the lemon law is there but its not easy at all to prove and the manufacturers arent to quick about helping ya.

 

Sounds like it would have been very easy to prove in your case as long as you kept the documentation.

 

Yeah it seemed it, but i got all the info from the lemon law board and they said i can have it arbitrated, and if i lose i lose, but if i win, they could appeal it and it would go to court, so i could basically take years........ wasnt really worth it.