california lemon law

As the first of many blog posts to cover the lemon law across the United States, this post will specifically discuss the lemon law in Washington.

In Washington, the lemon law covers the majority of new motor vehicles that were originally leased or purchased by a consumer in the state of Washington. However, if you are in the military and live or were assigned to reside in Washington, you may use the Washington lemon law regardless of where your motor vehicle was leased or purchased if it meets the other eligibility requirements and standards.

Washington lemon law does not cover the following motor vehicles:

• Trucks with over a 19,000 lbs gross weight rating;
• Motorcycles that have engine displacements of 750 cubic centimeters or less; and
• Motor vehicles leased or purchased by a business as part of a convoy of 10 vehicles or more, under a single or group contract.

The “eligibility period” for the Washington lemon law is repairs or diagnoses that occur within two years of the vehicle’s delivery date and within 24,000 miles.

The state of Washington’s lemon law has coverage for two kinds of defects: nonconformities and serious safety defects. A nonconformity defect is a defect that “substantially impairs” the motor vehicle’s use, value, or safety, and makes the vehicle unsafe and unreliable for regular use or has diminished resale value. A serious safety defect is a malfunction that is deemed life-threatening and impairs a driver’s ability to operate or control the vehicle or creates the risk of explosion or fire. The Washington lemon law does not apply when the damage or problem is the result of negligence or abuse by the owner or any unauthorized alterations or modifications made to the motor vehicle by the owner.

Howard D. Silver is a California lemon law attorney who has many years of experience in dealing with lemon law cases in California. If you have struggled with a motor vehicle that has required multiple repairs but still doesn’t operate as it should, you may have a lemon vehicle. Call Mr. Silver at 866-49-LEMON today to learn more about California’s lemon law. For more information about the lemon law of other states in the U.S., continue to check our blog.

An auto dealership is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the new and used vehicles it sells. However, this presents a problem for consumers who need service when the dealership where they purchased their car closes without notice.

Similar to California’s lemon law, in Massachusetts, car owners are provided certain rights if their vehicles have substantial problems that cannot be fixed. A car owner may qualify for a refund or replacement vehicle if after a reasonable number of repair attempts, the problem with the vehicle cannot be fixed. In order for the lemon law to apply, a problem must affect the use, value, or safety of the car. According to the article, approximately 100,000 vehicles can be identified as auto lemons, and some would even speculate that this number could be higher.

No matter which state you call home, if you believe your car is a lemon, seeking legal counsel from a skilled lemon law attorney can help ensure that your rights are protected. As a lemon law attorney in California, Howard D. Silver has helped many consumers obtain a refund or replacement vehicle. To learn more about how the California lemon law may apply to your specific situation, please call 1-866-49-LEMON for a free consultation.

It may not always be easy to determine whether your vehicle is a lemon. One major indicator, though, could be if you’ve had to take your car to the dealer to be repaired several times for the same problem, yet that problem still persists. A ConsumerAffairs.com article emphasizes the important role of documentation when a car owner is getting their vehicle repaired. This is especially vital when the repair attempts are not successful and the problem keeps coming back, or rather, never really goes away.

The article addresses the lemon law in Connecticut, also referred to as the Automobile Dispute Settlement Program. Apparently, the Automobile Dispute Settlement Program provided $1,063,000 in refunds and replacement vehicles to consumers from 2009-2010. The program has given consumers almost $55 million in refunds and replacement cars since 1984.

Each time you take your car to the dealer to be repaired, make sure that the specific problem, or “symptom,” is accurately documented on each repair order. You may even want to keep your own personal documentation of the problem by describing the issue in its entirety and, if it applies, specific incidents when the problem affected the safety, value, and performance of your vehicle.

Auto shops are responsible for providing consumers with a written repair order when a vehicle is picked up. Be sure that the repair order contains your complaint, the date, the mechanic’s proposed diagnosis and solution, as well as the amount paid for service. If these or additional details are not included in your repair order, ask the auto shop to update the order and give you a revised copy. This information will be critical if you are seeking repair compensation, a replacement vehicle, or a refund and need to prove certain information regarding repeated repairs attempted on your vehicle.

At the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver, our California lemon law attorneys can help you if your new car has needed repeated repairs and the original problem still exists. For more information about your legal rights and a free consultation about your case, please call (866) 46-LEMON today.

There has been a recent proliferation of lawsuits being filed against major auto manufacturers for defects with their vehicles. The most recent, high profile situation involves Toyota Motor Corporation, which has recalled almost 20 million cars this year due to problems with involuntary acceleration. In fact, The Dallas Morning News reports that coupled with more systemic financial woes affecting most major auto manufacturers, juries may be inclined to award large settlements to plaintiffs in these cases.

Lawsuits against auto manufacturers had been on a downward trend the last few years, owing in part to the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler. However, the industry’s economic recovery in recent months has spurred a renewed wave of defect-related lawsuits. The last major wave of these types of suits coincided with the Ford and Firestone tire recall in 1998.

Government agency sanctioned recalls lend further strength to defect-related lawsuits, as plaintiffs are able to use manufacturer response time to consumer complaints during litigation. The increase in consumer lawsuits will almost certainly encourage car companies to tighten safety monitoring in the hopes of avoiding further financial losses in the future.

If you believe your car suffers from a manufacturing-related defect, you may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer. The knowledgeable California lemon law attorneys at the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver have the experience and skill to defend your rights and ensure that you are adequately compensated. Call our offices today for a free consultation about your case at (866) 46-LEMON.

Welcome to the lemon law blog of the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver. In this blog, we will be discussing some of the areas of law that the firm practices in California as well as national lemon law news, consumer protection rights and other pertinent legal issues on a country-wide level to provide readers with valuable automotive information and resources.

Lemon laws vary from state to state, but the emphasis on consumer protection is widespread. Americans have valued the privilege of buying cars for decades not only as vital modes of transportation, but as reflections of our persona. Whether we would like to admit it or not, cars throughout the United States may not always maintain their performance, usefulness, or safety for the amount of time we expect for a variety of reasons. This lemon law blog will address automotive matters relating to what a consumer can do if a vehicle fails to function properly or does not conform to its warranty. We will also write about different consumer guides to buying new and used vehicles as well as covering a range of steps to protect consumers from auto repair fraud and used car fraud.

Car owners in the U.S. are also greatly affected by unfair business practices in which a consumer may be deceived or mislead when trying to obtain money that is owed to them for expenses associated with a vehicle. Automotive fraud has become a bigger problem than ever before due to the struggling economy, the high costs of auto repair and heightened consumer desire to purchase used cars to save money. Consumers who have requested a refund for a defective vehicle and received nothing in return may qualify under the lemon law for the state in which they live to take certain legal action.

The Law Offices of Howard D. Silver’s blog will serve as a forum for Howard D. Silver to share his experience in California automotive lemon law, used car lemon law and auto repair fraud, as well as unfair and deceptive business practices in relation to his knowledge of these issues on a national scope. In assisting his clients in receiving money back or a replacement vehicle for when a car does not conform to the warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, Howard D. Silver recognizes the importance of consumers understanding the lemon law on a national level. Please visit the lemon law blog again for more lemon law and consumer protection information!