Walk It Through: The Lemon
18,000 miles or two years, four repairs or thirty days, and the consumer's choice.
A new car's transmission fails within months, and the owner reports it to the dealer.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One car and one transmission. Arbitration, motor homes, and used car protections are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Lemon lawThe rule that a new car's defect reported within the first 18,000 miles or two years from delivery, whichever comes first, is corrected at no charge, and if not fixed after a reasonable number of attempts, the car is replaced or refunded.
- Warranty of habitabilityThe landlord's promise, in every written or oral residential lease, that the home and shared areas are fit for human habitation and that occupants are not subjected to conditions dangerous to life, health or safety.