Lemon Law
Have you bought a car that has a warranty, but doesn’t work right? If the dealer can’t fix the car after a reasonable number of tries, you may have the right to get your money back.
TIP: If you have a problem with your vehicle, make sure to keep all paperwork that the dealer gives you when you bring the car in for repairs, and make sure they write down on the paperwork the problem that you are reporting.
TIP: In general, the more times you take your vehicle in for repairs, and the longer the dealership takes to try to fix the vehicle, the stronger your case is. However, if the problem with your vehicle is a safety concern (for example, faulty brakes or steering) then fewer repair attempts is considered to be sufficient to qualify under the lemon law.
Successful Case Result
My client bought a new Pontiac which had a repeated brake problem. At speeds over 45 m.p.h., application of the brakes caused the steering wheel and front end to shimmy, and the brakes to throb. My client brought the car in four times for repairs, but the problem always returned within a month. Finally, my client asked GM to repurchase the car under the lemon law, but they refused. We successfully brought an action to force GM to buy back the Pontiac.