When a new car is purchased all its systems must work as expected. Florida has special protections for new car buyers if the new car fails to live up to its promise. The problems may be huge or small but remember that they are typically covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. In Florida, if the manufacturer’s warranty fails to live up to the performance of the vehicle, there are consumer protections found in the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, commonly known as the Florida lemon law.
The Florida lemon law covers:
* New cars purchased for personal, household or family purposes
* New cars that are still within the first 24 months from the date of purchase
* Original owners and the subsequent ones within those 24 months if the vehicle was purchased for the same purpose
The Florida lemon law covers:
* New cars
* Demonstrator vehicles
* Vehicles leased for more than one year
* Only the mechanical portions of RV
The Florida lemon law does not cover:
* Off-Road Vehicles
* Motorcycles
* Mopeds
* Trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds
The Florida lemon law covers:
* A defect or nonconformity that significantly impairs a vehicle’s use, value or safety
The Florida lemon law does not cover:
* A defect due to an accident, abuse, neglect, modification or alteration by someone other than the manufacturer or its authorized service agent
The Florida lemon law states that a new car consumer must send the manufacturer a written notice allowing one final attempt to repair the nonconformity:
* If a defect is recurring even after three failed attempts to fix the same nonconformity
* If the car is out of service for a total of 15 days or more
* If the vehicle is out of service for a total of 30 days or more (60 days if an RV)
If the vehicle cannot be repaired, the consumer has two possible remedies:
* A refund of the purchase price
* A replacement vehicle with either an identical vehicle or its reasonable equivalent
The Florida lemon law is not the only remedy for you
While the Florida lemon law is available for the Florida lemon law protection with your Florida lemon vehicle you also have other remedies. One of them is the federal law, the most notable Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act. You may have been a victim of unfair or deceptive trade practices. You may be entitled to damages separate and apart from those defined in the Florida lemon law.
The directives given above are not intended as legal advice. You may pursue your lemon law claim or any other dispute with your automobiles by being in communication with Florida Lemon Law Attorneys of Krohn & Moss Ltd., or Call 1-800 US LEMON® (800-875-3666) toll free, to reach Krohn & Moss for your FREE initial consultation.