Lemon Law FAQ

If the dealer refuses to repair your vehicle, you may also have a claim. The manufacturer has given a warranty, which in most circumstances, requires the dealer to do repair work. If the dealer and/or the manufacturer then refuse to do the repair work, you may have a claim under the Lemon Law, Federal Warranty Law and/or other laws.

The answer to that question depends on the facts and circumstances of each case. Therefore, at this point, the best thing to do is maintain the status quo until you have the chance to speak with a qualified attorney. In other words, do not allow the condition of the vehicle to change by having any repair work done to it. However, if your vehicle is dangerous and you continue to use it, you do so at your own risk. It is important to remember that if you decide to go forward many of the manufacturers will want to inspect your vehicle. You have a much better chance of obtaining the relief you seek if you can demonstrate a defect. If you cannot, you may still be entitled to compensation, but the chances of you getting what you want may be reduced somewhat.

You may still be entitled to compensation. There are other laws which govern warranties which may be used to assist you, including Federal law. Alex Simanovsky & Associates currently represents a great number of individuals whose vehicles did not start having problems during the Lemon Law Rights Period (See Your Lemon Law Rights).

There is really no such thing as "Qualifying." This is a common misconception (sometimes spread by uninformed individuals at your authorized dealer). First, the standards that are used by the lemon law to define nonconformities and reasonable number of repair attempts can be interpreted differently by different people. Ultimately, those people may be a jury deciding you case. Second, there are other laws which can be used to help you receive compensation in the event that you do not have a case for technical reasons under the Lemon Law. (Also see "What if I do not Meet any of the presumptions.")

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a lemon as: "One that is or proves to be unsatisfactory…" (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2nd College Ed., © 1985). However, in an effort to further define such a broad term, the Lemon Law attempts to define certain situations which entitle consumers to their money back or a new vehicle. In a nutshell, any defect or nonconformity, or combination of defects, which is/are not repaired within a reasonable number of attempts or a reasonable amount of time, may entitle you to lemon law relief. Your vehicle does NOT have to be breaking down to be considered a lemon. In short, if you are aggravated enough to be reading this you may have a lemon.

1. Check the vehicle’s warranty in order to inform yourself about the proper steps to take to guarantee legal recourse. (A warranty is a written guarantee that the vehicle is of good, sound quality.)

2. Hopefully, you can resolve the problem with your automobile dealer. They should want to remedy the problem to maximize future car sales.

3. If you cannot resolve the problem with your automobile dealer, contact our firm by calling us at 1-866-86-LEMON (1-866-865-3666), email us or complete our free case evaluation. We will attempt to quickly resolve the claim with the manufacturer at no cost to you. Should the manufacturer refuse to comply with it's lemon law obligations we will promptly file suit seeking compensation for you. Should your case settle, all fees and costs will be paid by the manufacturer. Regardless of the outcome, you are never responsible for paying our fees and costs.