Serious Problems with Your New Vehicle Out of the Gate – That’s What Lemon Law Is For
Lemon laws give consumers power and protection when huge automakers do not repair their defective vehicle.
When you buy a new vehicle, you do not expect it to break down, leak, or fall apart. It should run smoothly, and if it does not, the manufacturer should fix it. But that is not always what happens. Everyday, we get calls from people who have serious problems with their new car, truck, or SUV, right out of the gate. Thankfully, we can tell them that lemon laws can get them a price reimbursement, compensation, or a replacement vehicle, and that we get results for many of our clients within 30-90 days of their first call to us.
What are common lemon law problems in new vehicles?
Lemon laws are intended to help people who have serious defects in their new vehicles, not just trivial issues. You can find examples of some of the problems that we deal with in specific vehicle models on our Problem Vehicles pages, but here are just a few owner videos that you can see with your own eyes:
Transmission problems
Failing brakes
Vehicle will not start
Death wobble
Infotainment system failures
How can lemon law help you?
Lemon laws were created to protect buyers of new (and sometimes used) vehicles from being stuck with a vehicle that has a serious problem – a lemon. Lemon laws are state laws so each state has their own set of slightly different rules. We are including a few of the different state rules here but, at Timothy Abeel & Associates, we help vehicle owners in many states across the country. We have lemon law lawyer in PA, lemon law attorney in NJ, Florida Lemon Law Attorney, Ohio Lemon Law Attorney, Arizona Lemon Law Attorney, California Lemon Law Attorney, Texas Lemon Law Attorney, and lemon law lawyer in west virginia.
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, lemon laws apply to new vehicles that have a defect within the first 12,000 miles or 12 months of ownership. To qualify for a lemon law claim, the defect must substantially impair the vehicle’s use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer should be given 3 repair attempts or 30 days out of service for repair. Pennsylvania lemon laws do not cover RVs, motorcycles, boats, or vehicles that are used primarily for business use. For more information about lemon laws in Pennsylvania, see our lemon law lawyer in PA.
New Jersey
Like Pennsylvania, New Jersey lemon laws cover purchased and leased vehicles that are for personal not business use. However, New Jersey lemon laws also apply to motorcycles and RVs. In New Jersey, vehicles are covered by lemon law for a longer period of 24,000 miles or 24 months since purchase/lease. To be covered by lemon law, the defect must substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle and the manufacturer should be given 3 attempts or 20 days out of service to repair it. There is an exception to this if the defect is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury that may or may not lead to a lifetime of wound treatment or health care if the vehicle is driven, in which case the manufacturer only gets 1 repair attempt. Our lemon law attorney in NJ provide more information about lemon laws in the state.
Florida
Florida lemon laws apply to vehicles purchased or leased for personal use or that are still under warranty that have a serious defect within the first 24 months of ownership. The laws in Florida do not apply to motorcycles but do apply to RVs. As in other states, the defect in the vehicle must substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle and the manufacturer should be given a reasonable number of repair attempts to qualify for a Florida lemon law claim. Under Florida lemon laws, 3 repair attempts or 30 days out of service are considered a reasonable repair opportunity. See our Florida Lemon Law Attorney for more useful facts.
Ohio
In Ohio, the state lemon laws apply to recently leased or purchased vehicles, motorcycles, or RVs within the first 12 months or 18,000 miles of ownership. Like the other states mentioned here, Ohio lemon laws do not apply to commercial vehicles. The vehicle defect must be a warranty issue that substantially impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle. The manufacturer should be given a reasonable opportunity to repair the defect, which is presumed to be 3 repair attempts or 30 days out of service, or 1 repair attempt for a defect that is likely to cause death or serious injury. Unlike the other states, however, Ohio also limits the number of repair attempts when an owner has multiple problems with their vehicle. If a vehicle has multiple defects, Ohio lemon laws allow a manufacturer 8 total repair attempts (rather than 3 attempts for each defect.) Our Ohio lemon law attorney provide more information about the lemon laws in that state.
If you are having serious problems with your recently purchased or leased vehicle, you may be entitled to bring a lemon law claim. Contact us at Timothy Abeel & Associates online or by calling 888-830-1474 to find out how we can help at no cost to you.