Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question for more information:
- What kind of vehicles are covered
by the Lemon Law?
- Are there other laws, besides
the Lemon Law, that can help me?
- What is a "lemon"?
- Does the Lemon Law cover a leased
car?
- The manufacturer wants to give
me an extended warranty instead of replacing my car. What happens
if I accept it?
- How many chances do I have
to give the dealer to fix my car?
- How long do I have to let them
work on my car?
- I have a lemon car and they
want to replace it but I just want my money back. Do I have to
take another car from them?
- I think my used car was bought
back once by the manufacturer and the dealer didn't tell me when
I bought it. Should I be concerned about that?
- Should I let them work on it
again?
1.
What kind of vehicles are covered by the Lemon Law?
Cars, trucks and any vehicle normally used on a highway, except
for motorhomes, motorcycles, mopeds, farm tractors and equipment,
and anything that has more than two axles.
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2.
Are there other laws, besides the Lemon Law, that can help me?
Sure. Kentucky residents have strong consumer protection laws to
protect them, including the "Federal Lemon Law", the Kentucky
Consumer Act, and the Kentucky Commercial Code.
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3.
What is a "lemon"?
It's a new vehicle that has a problem, that
is covered by warranty, that "substantially impairs the use,
value or safety of the vehicle" to you and which the dealer
has not fixed within a reasonable number of chances.
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4.
Does the Lemon Law cover a leased car?
Yes, as long as you got it after July 15,
1998. It doesn't matter whether you leased it or bought it - the
only question is whether it's a lemon.
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5. The
manufacturer wants to give me an extended warranty instead of replacing
my car. What happens if I accept it?
You could lose all your Lemon Law rights,
so be very sure that you can live with the result. Extending the
warranty is a very cheap way out for the manufacturer. All you really
are getting is the promise that they'll try "one more time"
when more things go wrong in the future. Are you sure that's what
you want?
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6. How
many chances do I have to give the dealer to fix my car?
If the same defect is worked on 4 times and
still exists after that, then it's a lemon. At that point you have
a right to ask for your money back or a new car that runs right.
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7. How
long do I have to let them work on my car?
>A total of 30 days out of service is the maximum allowed for the
same defect in the first year/12,000 miles before declaring the
vehicle to be a lemon. Keep track of the days out of service, count
weekends and holidays, too, and the days do not have to be consecutive
(it can be 2 days here plus 6 days there, etc), and when you arrive
on "day 31" you can legally call your car a lemon.
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8. I
have a lemon car and they want to replace it but I just want my
money back. Do I have to take another car from them?
No. You are the one who gets to decide what
you want to do under the Lemon Law, either make them buy it back
or make them replace it with one that runs right. You do not have
to accept the choice that the manufacturer wants you to take.
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9. I
think my used car was bought back once by the manufacturer and the
dealer didn't tell me when I bought it. Should I be concerned about
that?
Yes. Many people believe in the saying "once a Lemon, always
a Lemon" and they just won't pay much for a "buyback"
lemon car. The market value of a lemon just isn't the same as a
car that has always run right. To learn more about Lemon
Laundering click here.
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10.
Should I let them work on it again?
Probably not without talking with a Lemon
Law Lawyer first; if they get it fixed they may tell you that it's
too late then for you to do anything about it --- so, be careful!
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