Lemon Law

What Qualifies as a Lemon? Under the law of most states, for a vehicle to be considered a lemon, the car must 1) have a "substantial defect," covered by warranty, that occurs within a certain time after purchase, and 2) continue to have the defect after a "reasonable number" of repair attempts.

Fact: The truth of the matter is that lemon laws may apply to all types of consumer products that include warranties. This means that cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, computers, home appliances and a number of other products may all be covered under your state's lemon laws, as well as under federal lemon law.

By definition, a used car dealer that sells a lemon is required to buy back the car. Consumer laws are very clear about dealer and manufacturer liability for lemons: once a car is declared a lemon it must be refunded and the contract must be canceled.

Take Your Vehicle in for Repairs. The basis for a strong lemon law claim is multiple repair attempts for the same issue or problem. Accurately Report Any and All Concerns. Keep All of Your Documentation. Present Your Lemon Law Claim Sooner Than Later. Hire an Experienced Lemon Law Attorney.

The short answer to your question is yes. If the dealer sells a car that was previously returned to them under a lemon law, they would be required to disclose that fact to you.

Dear Manufacturer: I believe that my vehicle is a lemon under state name's lemon law. I am hereby making a written demand for a refund/replacement because the vehicle does not conform to the warranty. I purchased a make, model, year of vehicle on date from name of dealership in city, state.

A Lemon, or Manufacturer Buyback, is a vehicle purchased back from the owner by the manufacturer. It is offered as a courtesy or because of a defect, in the interests of customer satisfaction. Buybacks always carry the balance of factory warranty and occasionally, extended warranty on the repaired defect.