What should you do if your car is a lemon?

Lemon Vehicles

States with lemon laws allow the owner a refund or replacement when a new vehicle has a substantial problem that is not fixed within a reasonable number of attempts. Many specify a refund or replacement when a substantial problem is not fixed in four repair attempts or the car has been out of service for 30 days within the first 12,000 miles/12 months. If you believe that your car is a lemon:

• Contact your state or local consumer protection office for information on the laws in your state and the steps you must take to resolve the situation;

• Give the dealer a list of symptoms every time you bring it in for repairs; keep copies for your records;

• Get copies of the repair orders showing the reported problems, the repairs performed and the dates that the car was in the shop; and

• Contact the manufacturer, as well as the dealer, to report the problem. Some state laws require that you do so to give the manufacturer a chance to fix the problem. Your owner's manual will list an address for the manufacturer.

Here are more answers and opinions:

• This term is generally not understood by the public. Example: A bad tire, then the AC goes out followed by a piece of moulding coming loose. While frustrating, these different problems do not fall under the "Lemon Law". It has strict guidelines to protect dealers from spurious claims. Not an easy process as the paperwork is tedious and specific. Once the vehicle has been deemed a lemon, a complicated formula is used to pro-rate another vehicle sale.

First answer by FCIC. Last edit by Richard. Question popularity: 315 [recommend question]