Different Types of Lemon Laws
Lemon laws provide consumers with a level of protection against cars and other vehicles that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance. The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act is a federal lemon law that protects any U.S. citizen, while states have varying degrees of laws put in place. Depending on which state the motor vehicle is purchased in, the law may have different requirements and areas of defect that are covered.
The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act covers a wide variety of products and protects every United States citizen. The act was put in place to combat merchants misusing express warranties and disclaimers and protect the consumer. By law, merchants and suppliers must clearly state the parameters of their warranty and supply buyers with a physical copy of the terms and conditions. As the laws pertain mainly to motor vehicles, the suppliers cannot limit coverage and replacement of parts to only one brand name or manufacturer. Points that are found to be ambiguous in the contract are also construed against the drafter.
Under the act, suppliers must replace any defective part or component free of charge or can issue the consumer a refund. State lemon laws vary in such areas as amount of coverage, what parts or components are covered within the warranty, and what types of vehicles are included. Although cars are the most common item that falls under lemon laws, other items such as RVs, boats, motorcycles, wheelchairs, and computers are all subject to the same laws as cars. The federal lemon laws cover any item that is mechanical, while different products are covered depending on the individual state.
Examples of different types of lemon laws often pertain to used car sales including manufacturer’s certification on used cars, pre-existing warranties, or extended warranties. State laws on these points of contention vary, but it may be possible to file a suit under the federal laws. If a manufacturer does not supply you with a warranty, one may be entitled to compensation for violations of consumer protection under federal mandate. Situations that consumers are protected from include, previously salvaged or wrecked cars, fraudulently rolled back odometers, stolen cars, and cars involved in a flood.