What to do after buying a lemon car

For many, buying a car is a big investment. Unfortunately, not everything planned goes well. There are many hidden lemons, waiting for the unsuspecting buyer. And by “lemon” we mean cars that have serious faults. If you suspect that you have bought a lemon, you must act immediately. Learn more about what to do after you realize your vehicle has serious problems.

Every state has laws to protect consumers from products that have serious defects. The Lemon Laws protect consumers from cars that are riddled with serious defects. If an item cannot be successfully repaired within a specified period of time or after a specified number of repair attempts. In California, if within the first 18 months, or 18,000 miles, a car will be considered a lemon if one of the following three conditions is met:

• There have been at least 2 unsuccessful repair attempts and the defect makes the vehicle unsafe to drive
• The manufacturer or distributor has attempted to repair the same defect four or more times without success.
• The vehicle has been out of service for more than 30 days due to warranty repairs

The defect must be serious, related to functionality and must affect the use of the vehicle or must pose a significant safety problem for any of the drivers or passengers. For example, everything related to the brakes or the ability to take curves. A cosmetic issue, such as damaged paint, will not cause safety or functionality issues and will not result in the car being tagged as a lemon.

If you keep such a vehicle, then under consumer law you may be entitled to a replacement from the manufacturer or a refund of the money you spent to purchase and repair the vehicle.

• Manufacturer Buyback – In this option, your car manufacturer replaces your lemon vehicle with a similar vehicle from its own stock.

• Refund – For this option, you must return the lemon car to receive compensation. In this scenario, you may be compensated for the number of monthly payments you have made, your down payment, fees and taxes paid, as well as money spent on repairs and rentals you purchased while your lemon was being serviced.

So all you have to do is check the laws, make sure the vehicle meets all the requirements, and then contact the dealer or manufacturer and explain the problem. Make sure you provide all the necessary documents (repair invoices, repair reports), etc.