This Lemon Car Brain is Damaged Surgery Is Not An Option
Each year, cars, trucks and RVs get more complicated. In this new electronic world computers manage most of the various vehicle operations, such as the power package, transmission, brake systems, emission control system, entertainment systems and safety related systems. Although computers make it more difficult for an individual to work on his or her car,......
Read MoreRepair Order Alteration Dealer Trick #2
One of the tests for determining whether a vehicle is a lemon is whether there have been repeated repairs for the same problem. To avoid this, the dealership will often write up the same problem in different ways to make it look like different problems. This is subtle, and you might not even notice it,......
Read MoreCalifornia’s Branded Lemons
For those with a conscious, not wanting to pass on the problems they have had with their lemon vehicle, there is good news. The California legislature has provisions in the California Lemon Law that are imposed on any manufacturer who buys a vehicle from a consumer who has made a request that the vehicle be......
Read MoreLongevity of Ownership
A recent report by R. L. Polk and Company has concluded that Americans are keeping their cars and trucks on the road for record periods as the economy has weakened. Through mid-2008, the median age of cars in operation rose to 9.4 years, up from highs of 9.2 years in 2007 and 2006, the report......
Read MoreNew Designs Same Excuses
There are many situations in which car owners need to know their rights under the California lemon law. For example, let’s say you just spent thousands on a new car and the transmission starts lurching and hesitating after a few thousand miles. You bring it back to the dealer and instead of being told “we’ll......
Read MoreBeware the “Diagnostics”
The necessity for protecting consumers with the lemon law continues to be demonstrated—and not just in the US. China has had an auto recall system in place since 2004, and the system now has to be utilized in the recall of nearly 700,000 Toyota passenger cars with defects in their electric window systems. The faulty......
Read MoreLemon Law and the Differing Warranties
Honda has just expanded a recall from last year, dealing with a potentially deadly airbag defect—once again illustrating the continuing need for the lemon law. Nearly half a million vehicles have been added to the recall, the models now including 2001-2002 Honda Accord, the 2001 Civic, and the 2002-2003 Acura TL. Owners are being told......
Read MoreCash for Clunkers- Let the Buyer Beware
Consumer advocates have called upon the Department of Transportation to investigate two scams they allege are being perpetrated by car dealers participating in the Car Allowance Rebate System, better known as Cash for Clunkers. Spokespersons for two groups, Consumer Action and Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, claim that some dealers are making customers sign......
Read MoreLemon Law and the Vehicle Business
A consumer recently wrote into the Consumer Action section of the Press of Atlantic City, New Jersey web site, complaining that they had purchased a 12-year old vehicle, and had paid an additional $1,000 for a 1-year warranty. When a defect arose on the vehicle, however, the dealership refused to honor the warranty because it......
Read MoreCheck Your Buyer’s Guide
The state of Pennsylvania recently joined the 36 other states in objecting to the General Motors bankruptcy case. In a similar manner to other state actions, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has stated that state officials have serious concerns about consumer and business rights, ranging from lemon law claims and warranties to state laws regarding......
Read MoreTrade In Instead of a Buy Back?
Lemon laws continue to make the headlines. Just this week, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced that the new, restructured General Motors has agreed to, among other items, accept lemon law claims without caps on damages or fees. The agreements came on the heels of four limited objections filed by the AG with the New......
Read MoreBankruptcy Court Ensures New GM Will Follow State Lemon Laws
A revision to the bankruptcy agreement under which a “new GM” will acquire most of the assets of the existing corporation has been amended to ensure that GM consumers will continue to have rights under state lemon laws. Changes were made to the agreement at the urging of state attorneys general who felt that the......
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