Is your newly purchased used car giving you a headache with the never-ending visits to the repair shops? Are you beginning to think that buying a used car was one of your worst decisions? Just keep your cool! You probably have more legal rights than you know about!
Well, we all know that lemon laws protect new car buyers in every state, but how about those who have used vehicles with defects and safety issues that can’t be repaired? The thing is, lemon laws may protect unfortunate buyers like you as well!
Just read on and learn more to be able to protect your rights as a consumer!
Lemon Laws for Used Cars! Yes, That’s a Reality!
As already mentioned all states in the U.S. have lemon laws that apply to new cars and protect consumers who have a new vehicle that fails to function as it should.
Does this mean that consumers who have purchased defective used cars should always struggle to pay for the repairs?
In fact, while in most states lemon laws cover new car sales only, the frequency and severity of consumers’ used car problems have led some states to pass new laws specifically for used car buyers!
In general, lemon laws will likely cover used cars if the car was sold with a certain type of warranty, often based upon the age or mileage of the car.
But first, you will have to investigate laws of your state to determine whether your used car is protected under your state’s lemon law as each state has its own specific laws and they cover a variety of vehicle situations.
So let’s dig deeper and learn more about California’s Used Car Lemon Law and your rights as a consumer!
Used Car Lemon Law For Californian Consumers
Are the defects and issues of your used car caused by your or someone else’s abuse or neglect? Didn’t the competent bodies properly follow the terms of the vehicle’s warranty for maintenance? If so, you better start putting aside some money for repair purposes because you won’t get a refund or a replacement!
In California used cars qualify for protection under the used car lemon law only if they are sold with the manufacturer’s warranty (which is typically 3 years/36,000 miles, but can be more for some manufacturers).
Cars covered by California Used Car Lemon Law include:
- Used cars or vehicles bought and used primarily for personal, family or household purposes.
- Used cars or vehicles with a gross weight that is below 10,000 pounds and used primarily for business purposes where 5 or fewer vehicles are registered to the company.
- Used cars or vehicles that are sold with a written warranty.
- Lemon cars or vehicles that are repurchased by a manufacturer and then resold to consumers with a manufacturer’s warranty covering the defects.
If your used car goes under one of these categories, the manufacturer will be required by law to either repurchase or replace the vehicle, or to compensate the owner of the defective vehicle. But first of all the defects or nonconformities should meet the requirements of the Used Car Lemon Law and the manufacturer should be given a reasonable number of attempts to repair the car or vehicle.
So if you purchased a used car with a warranty that turns out to be a lemon, call our qualified lemon law attorneys at Margarian law firm today to understand your rights and to see what options may be available to you.
