Lemon Law

Welcome to Lemon Law. This site was put together in order to provide to the public an amalgamation of information about car vehicle lemon law. Here you will find both state and federal lemon law information, a list of directories which provide attorneys who specialize in lemon law litigation, a list of sites which provide vehicle repair history reports, a chat room about lemon law and related topics, and current news about lemon law. Any discussion about lemon law is fair game within our chat room, and our chat room allows for an unlimited number of participants.

Here you also find our book store. Our book store consists of books about lemon law and books about how to purchase a car. Browse our book store if you would like to create a better understanding of the workings of lemon law, and if you would like to learn how to prevent the purchase of a lemon in the future.

A discussion about lemon law should begin with a clear definition of lemon law.

Lemon Law: Refers to various state and federal laws protecting consumers against the purchase of vehicles found to be persistently defective. This applies to both new and used vehicles, as long as the vehicle is still under warranty.

Actually, lemon laws apply to most purchased products, but for our discussion, lemon law refers to the purchase of new or used vehicles.

Many of us, during certain times in our life, have made a purchase of a new or slightly used vehicle, only to find out that you have purchased a lemon. You saved your money, had a mechanic check it out, you used a check list of items to look at, and you thoroughly test drove it. You drive the vehicle home and the next day the car will not start. The problem persists after several attempts by a mechanic to fix it. You purchased a lemon. Well, guess what, legally you are protected if the dealer will not replace or refund your money. This web site provides the necessary resources you will need in order to pursue litigation if needed.

Remember this. As a consumer, you are protected at both the state and federal level when it comes to the purchase of a lemon, and any dealer that is worth his or her salt knows you are protected. Lets look at some general information in terms of state and federal statutes when it comes to lemon law.

There are three laws that are on the books which are designed to protect the consumer when defective vehicles, or for that matter most other products, are purchased in the United States.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

Passed by Congress in 1975, The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act requires manufacturers and sellers of consumer products to provide consumers with detailed information about warranty coverage. Therefore, by law, the warranty can not be vague and must be very specific in terms of coverage. When purchasing a vehicle, read the warranty thoroughly. This law prevents manufacturers from squeezing out of their responsibility and obligation to the warranty by writing a non-specific warranty.

This law also was designed to create competition between sellers based on the warranty itself. If the warranty appears unfair, you can walk away from the purchase and look elsewhere. The Act does not require any business to provide a written warranty. But if a business provides a written warranty, the business must comply with the Act.

The Uniform Commercial Code

The Uniform Commercial Code applies to all 50 states including D.C. and Puerto Rico. This code is very large and contains many components. For the purpose of our discussion, this law gives the consumer the right to a refund or replacement if they have purchased a lemon. This law does not specify what a lemon is, therefore it would be the determination of a court as to whether or not you are entitled to a refund or replacement.

Lemon Laws Provided by the Individual States

Most state lemon laws are more exact then federal statutes. Most state lemon laws specify that you are entitled to a refund or replacement if a substantial defect can not be fixed after 4 attempts, and a safety defect after 2 attempts. You are also entitled to a refund or replacement if the vehicle is out of service for 30 days within the first 12,000 to 18,000 miles or 12 to 24 months.

In order to apply any of these laws to your situation, it is imperative that you keep complete car servicing records. It also should be noted that most refund or replacement restitution is settle out of court.

To find out what the details are in terms of the lemon law for your particular state, go to the following Lemon Law Summaries

Below you will find a complete list of directories which list attorneys, by state. Each of these lawyers specialize in lemon law litigation. I have not seen a website which actually lists the directories for lemon law attorneys, therefore the following list should be helpful to the victim of a lemon vehicle purchase. If you are the owner of a website which list lemon law attorneys, and your site is not on this list, please contact me with your URL and I will include your site on this list.

A List of Lemon Law Attorney Directories

• Lemon Law - AttorneyFind
• Kimmel & Silverman - Lemon Law Firms Across The Nation
• Lemon Law Attorneys - LawInfo.com
• Lemon Law - AttorneyPages
• LemonLawOffice.com
• Lemon Law - FindLaw
• Lemon Law America
• National Directory of Lemon Law Lawyers
• Lemon LawsUSA.com
• National Lemon Law Center

The following list is comprised of sites that can check on the past repair history of a used vehicle and let you know if the car you are thinking about purchasing has a problematic history. Remember, for lemon laws to apply, the vehicle must still be under warranty. In any case, you do not want to purchase a vehicle which has a checkered past. For most of these sites, you need to provide the vehicles VIN (vehicle identification number). If you are the owner of a website that provides repair history reports on vehicles and your site is not listed here, please contact me with your URL and I will add your site to the list.

Sites which Provide Vehicle History Reports

• Vehicle History Reports
• CARFAX
• HowStuffWorks - Consumer Guide Automotive
• AutoCheck
• Car Detective
• Yahoo Autos
• Auto Lemon - Used Car History Check

Alternatively, you can use the following VIN decoder, provided by DECODETHIS.COM:

The following is the current lemon law news. This should be of interest to both the attorney who specializes in lemon law litigation, and the individual pursuing a refund or replacement of a purchased lemon. Remember, as a consumer, you are protected from the purchase of defective products via a warranty. But remember, the law is only as good as the individual who uses it. It is up to the individual to apply the law and pursue litigation when you feel you have been cheated.