Understanding New and Used Automobile Lemon Laws in the United States

by | May 25, 2020 | Law attorney

Automobile lemon laws vary across the United States. All states have lemon laws in the case of new vehicles, but only six states have laws protecting you if you buy a used car. Even those new car laws vary depending on your location, so you need to work with lemon law attorneys.

In most states, a car is defined as a lemon if you take the car back three times for the same defect affecting the car’s safety, value, or usability. You may also qualify if the new vehicle is out of service for more than 30 days. Some states will give the dealer a fourth chance to fix the issue after you have filed a court case against them. In many states, it is wise to inform the manufacturer after the second attempt. Then, let them make the third attempt before pursuing a case against them. In some cases, if the defect is a significant safety issue, then you do not have to take the car back after the first attempt if the problem persists. In some states, if you end up returning the new vehicle, then you may be charged a fee for the miles that the car run adequately.

When a state covers a used vehicle under the lemon law, there is a lot of variation in how the code is written. For example, conversion vans, motor homes, and motorcycles are not covered under lemon laws in Indiana while at the same time, Louisiana includes boats and water skis under their lemon laws.

With so many different options, it is essential to work with a lemon law attorney to see if your case is covered. Contact lemon law attorneys at Lemon Law America.

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