Lemon Law - General Information

Lemon laws are United States federal laws which provide a legal remedy for buyers of consumer products who are unable to rectify defective products that repeatedly break down or perform poorly. These laws were originally intended to help protect consumers from poor-quality products, but the term "lemon" has come to refer to any product that proves to be defective even after the original consumer warranty has expired. In other words, these laws were created to force car manufacturers to honor their warranty agreements when they break down. Note that the lemon law PA is very similar to consumer remedies laws that protect car owners from being scammed by car dealers.

Under the lemon law, a car owner must prove that he was notifying the manufacturer that there is a serious or material defect in the vehicle before he can file a lawsuit. This means that the vehicle owner must be able to prove that he contacted the company about the problem and received no response. There are some requirements that must be met by the car owner before he can sue, such as evidence of a defect and clear evidence of a relationship between the defect and the cause of the defect. If the dispute goes to arbitration instead of court, it is up to the arbitrator to determine whether there is a case. Find out more about the lemon law by clicking here.

The arbitration hearing process is very simple. A vehicle owner can simply submit a written claim to the manufacturer or dealership and request an arbitration hearing. If the party chooses arbitration over court, he will be given a date within a specific time period to submit his evidence and testimony. At the arbitration hearing, the person seeking relief will be able to ask questions pertaining to the nature of his vehicle as well as any related damage that may have occurred.

Another provision in the lemon law allows a vehicle owner to be paid for warranty repairs even after he sells a used vehicle. This means that a lemon law owner may be able to recoup some of his costs from the sale price of a new vehicle. In addition, the warranty repairs are usually covered under the same rules that apply to new vehicle warranties. Therefore, if a person is able to repair his vehicle at the arbitration hearing, he could be eligible to receive some money back from the sales of the new vehicle.

Vehicles that are leased are not covered by the lemon law; however, some automobile leasing companies are now offering warranty repairs as part of the leasing contract. Some vehicles may request arbitration for other reasons, such as being used in a collision or as the result of a flood. These automobiles may be eligible to receive a refund from the leasing company. A vehicle leasing company may also offer to repair or replace parts that are damaged during the lease period. However, before a leasing company starts working on a vehicle's warranty, the owner should inform the company about the problem and request arbitration.

Lemon laws do not only apply to new vehicles; many other types of vehicles also fall under the law. For example, a vehicle that is sold by a dealer will be covered under the lemon law if the dealer finds out that the vehicle is defective when it is first offered for sale. The dealer may decide to sell the vehicle without any type of warranty, but this is not legal and void. If a person wishes to buy a car with a warranty, he should find out whether the car can be repaired or replaced. If the dealer finds out that the car cannot be fixed or replaced, he should tell the owner before taking the vehicle away.  
This article has provided you with more information on this topic: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/01/09/aa.lemon.laws/index.html.