Lemon Law Introduction

Lemon laws were introduced primarily to protect the consumer from unscrupulous dealers who would sell off any old rubbish and claim that the item was fit for use. Unfortunately, many cars sold today have been repaired or restructured and have a somewhat dubious history.

For example, did you know that there are dealers out there that will take two similar cars which have been damaged - one front end and one back end - and literally weld the two halves together to make one car? In the trade this is called a cut and shut' and is highly dangerous. The car can virtually fall apart when involved in even the slightest impact.

The lemon law also forces manufacturers to buy back any cars deemed to be in the lemon category. Although there is a common law to all states, most have different interpretations of this law. Check it out before you part with your hard earned cash.

Also be aware that any used car has a history. Finding this history is not always easy especially if the car has been shipped out of state or out of the country. Make sure the engine and chassis number match up with the paper work and try your best to check if the vehicle was ever involved in an accident.

Remember, these laws were introduced to protect you, the consumer. If you can arm yourself with a little of this knowledge, you will be protecting yourself from untold misery. After all, life is too short to spend it in the hospital or courtroom!

Lemon Law Details

When it comes to buying anything in the United States there is a consumer law that protects us from purchasing defective goods - the lemon law is a great example of this. This applies even to vehicles and motorcycles. However, there are different rules in different states and it may be a good idea to check these out before you make that all important purchase.

In all states a lemon would be classified as such if it has been repaired up to four times for the same fault, or up to eight times for the entire object, in the warranty period. This could also be deemed to include the "add-on" warranty period sometimes sold with the vehicle.

Some states decree that three repairs in one calendar month with the vehicle being out of service deems it to be a lemon while in others it is thirty working days. This may appear to be a slight variation but it could make all the difference to a claim.

Some states have a "one defect" clause if it is deemed to be life threatening. This means that it is only allowed to be repaired once and should the fault reoccur then it is labeled as a lemon and you can proceed to the compensation claim. Others state a time line of one or two year for this fault to appear or up to a certain mileage.

Unfortunately, all the states have interpreted the lemon laws in their own style. Check out your states' laws before you buy.