Used Car Lemon Law
Lemon law covers new cars in every state but some consumers are unaware that the lemon law of their state also provides protection for used cars. Unfortunately, buyers of used cars are also more likely to get stuck with an unreliable vehicle than a new car buyer. Depending on which state you reside in, used car dealers may be required to warranty your used car or truck for a limited time following the purchase date.
Trying to get rid of your used lemon can be an uphill battle. Built into virtually every dealer's vehicle sales contract is a one-sided arbitration clause with the intent of keeping used car buyer from taking a case to court. Secondly, the consumer might have to prove that the vehicle's problems existed previous to the sale. Although this is the case, consumers are protected under statutes when these lemons are sold fraudulently; when a used car dealer intentionally fails to disclose the vehicle's history (ie. odometer rollback) or misrepresents the vehicle title.
Although some states do not cover used cars under its lemon law, there may be other possible legal remedies available depending on the conditions of the sale of the used car, as long as it still under the manufacturer warranty. Currently, only a few states have used car protection actually written into their state's lemon law providing a statutory used car warranty generally based upon the age or mileage of the vehicle. In the event the vehicle reveals problems during the "warranty" period, the dealer must get an opportunity to repair them. If those repair attempts are unsuccessful after several tries, the dealer usually must either replace the car or refund the buyer's money.
Click the corresponding state on the left for your state's used car lemon law.
The other states with used car lemon law coverage are Hawaii, Minnesota and Rhode Island. Our firm proudly serves consumers in the remaining states with this lemon law coverage.
* For all other states, if the car is still under warranty, other laws may provide protection for the consumer buyer.