2 Ways to Know If Your Car Is A Lemon
Did you recently buy a new or used car that has problems? Have you contacted the dealership and been told there is nothing they can do? Have you taken your car into the shop a bunch of times and you are still having problems? These are common scenarios we hear all the time from people who call our office with car problems. It doesn’t matter if it is a new car or a used car, people have problems with cars constantly. After we understand what is wrong with the car, we have to determine if it is a lemon or not. Most people know that Pennsylvania has a lemon law and most people consider any car with a lot of problems to be a lemon. However, that isn’t always true. Here are 2 ways to determine quickly if your car is a lemon:
- Is your car less than a year old and less than 12,000 miles? Pennsylvania’s lemon law only applies to cars that are less than a year old and have less than 12,000 miles. Even if you bought the car new, if your defects didn’t start until it was over a year old, or had more than 12,000 miles, then it isn’t a lemon. This is the same for used cars. And a used cars (for the lemon law) is any car that has been sold more than once. So, if you are the second buyer of a car, it is considered used, regardless of how old it is. A lot of people call our office with late model vehicles. Unfortunately, they don’t qualify as lemons. However, they may still have a legal case under Auto Fraud Laws.
- Have you had the same problem repaired more than 3 times or has the car been in the shop more than 30 days? Pennsylvania’s Lemon Law also requires multiple repair attempts for the same problem. For example, if you have a constant issue with your transmission, and you have had it in the shop 3 or more times for the transmission, then the lemon law may apply. Similarly, if you have had the car the in the shop for more than 30 days trying to fix that same problem, that may also qualify as a lemon. If neither of these conditions applies, but the car still have a serious problem, then the Pennsylvania Auto Fraud Laws may be able to help.
If both of these elements apply to you, then you may have a lemon and you need to call an attorney who can go after the manufacturer for you. If either, or both, of these elements doesn’t apply, then you don’t have a lemon. However, Pennsylvania’s Auto Fraud Laws help consumers with car problems outside the Lemon Law. So, you should still call an attorney who will be able to evaluate your case to see if Pennsylvania Law applies.
For more information on Pennsylvania’s Lemon Law, see our Page: PA LEMON LAW
For more information on Pennsylvania’s Auto Fraud Laws, see our Page: PA AUTO FRAUD
Pennsylvania’s Lemon Law protects consumers like yourself from buying a car that has defects. However, you have to know whether the lemon law applies to your car or not. If it doesn’t Pennsylvania’s Auto Fraud Laws may apply. Call our office today at 412-823-8003 and ask for Attorney Matt Becker to discuss your vehicle issue.