Signs Your Vehicle Is a Lemon and What to Do About It

If your car is a lemon it’s been found to have some serious manufacturing defects. Driving a lemon vehicle is extremely dangerous as it can lead to an accident because of the malfunctions of important parts such as brakes, steering wheels, transmission, and wheels.

It is sometimes hard to spot the signs that your car is a lemon since not every one of us is a car mechanic or expert. Most of the manufacturing defects of a lemon vehicle are not really noticeable unless an expert car mechanic takes a close look. Here are some ways to tell that your car is actually a lemon.

Pay Attention to the Steering Wheel

You’ll have to take the vehicle out for a spin to see if there’s a problem with the steering.

• See if the car tends to drift when cornering or if you often need to correct and straighten the steering wheel.
• If the wheel feels loose as you steer the car, this is also a good indication that there’s a steering problem.

Check the Tires

The tires can also be a good indication that your car is a lemon.

• Check to see if the tires are worn out. You will probably see some signs of wear and tear on the tires.
• Check to see if the tires have lines that are unevenly distributed. This is often an indication that the car has a brake, steering, or suspension problem.

Check the Tailpipe

Smoke coming out of a car can also indicate serious problems.

• If black smoke is coming out of the tailpipe, it could be that the air filter needs to be changed because it is merely dirty.
• If blue smoke is coming out of the tailpipe, it means that oil is burning and this may require some expensive repairs to fix the problem.

Check for Recalls

Before you buy any vehicle, you must first check for recalls. Manufacturers sometimes order recalls for various models that have manufacturing defects. You can check for all official recalls issued by car manufacturers on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. You can visit the website to search for recalls issued for your vehicle model.

Repairing the Vehicle Did Not Fix the Problems

If you have already taken your vehicle to a professional car mechanic to repair and fix problems, but the malfunctions are still there, then it means that you really have bought a lemon vehicle.

What Is There to Do If You’ve Bought a Lemon Vehicle?

Here is what you need to do once you’ve figured out that the vehicle you’ve bought is a lemon.

1. Contact the dealer or car manufacturer.

• Let them know about the lemon vehicle you’ve bought from them and give them the chance to fix the car’s problems.
• Be sure to document all repairs made on the car including the precise dates when the car was serviced and the car’s warranty expiration date.
• If the same problem still occurs after several repair attempts, you have the chance to ask your dealer or manufacturer for a replacement or refund. For example, if the same defect has been repaired more than five times within the warranty period and the defect is still there, the vehicle can qualify as a lemon.
• But if the car’s defects are safety-related, car manufacturers are only given one chance to fix the problem. If the safety problem is still there after being serviced, your vehicle could qualify as a lemon.

2. Get a replacement or refund under the lemon law.

If for some reason, the attempts to repair your car did not fix the problem, you can get a replacement for it or a refund under the lemon law. The basic idea behind the lemon law is that if a faulty vehicle still can’t be repaired, the car dealership or manufacturer must provide a replacement for it or provide a refund. It is important to remember that not all states have the same lemon law. You must first check your state’s lemon law so you can figure out what to do next about your lemon vehicle.

If your car fits the definition of a lemon vehicle, you will have a legal case. What this means is that you may be provided with some or all of the following rights as specified by your state’s lemon law:

• You have the right to ask for a replacement for your vehicle from its manufacturer.
• You have the right to ask the car manufacturer or dealership to refund the vehicle costs including the car registration fees, finance charges, and taxes.

But to get your lemon vehicle replaced or refunded, you must present proper documentation of the problems with your vehicle. So you must document all the attempted repairs, including how much time you were unable to use your car, to meet the legal definition of a lemon vehicle according to your state law.

Once you know your car is a lemon, take the appropriate actions immediately to repair the problems. Most car problems should be fixed once they are serviced properly. But if yours persist, you may also want to get in touch with a qualified consumer rights attorney like CA Consumer Advocates who specializes in lemon law to help solve your situation.

 

Julian Moore

Julian Moore fancies himself as someone who aims to help his readers comprehend otherwise hard-to-understand topics. He strives to show his passion towards writing in his pieces, where he tackles legal topics like the ones handled by CA Consumer Advocates. He hopes to engage his readers more through his informative style of writing. Julian is a father of three, and loves to spend time with his children during his free time.