The Florida Lemon Law

Exactly what is the Florida Lemon Law and how does it cover you and affect your rights as the purchaser of an automobile in the State of Florida? The Lemon Law in Florida covers consumer purchases and leases of new and demonstrator vehicles including cars, recreational vehicles and boats. if you believe you have a lemon, there are specific steps you need to take to claim your rights.

The law covers vehicles that have been purchased or leased in Florida. Lease purchased vehicles are also covered. What is covers is defects and operating conditions that cause the vehicle to be unusable, unsafe, or substantially lessens the value of the motor vehicle. When you have a problem with your vehicle, it must first be reported to the manufacturer or someone acting on their behalf such as the dealer you purchased from and this must be done within 24 months of the time of your date of delivery which may be different than your purchase date.

if your dealer or manufacturer fails to return your vehicle to you in warranty condition after a reasonable number of attempts to repair issues with it, they must buy back the car or other motor vehicle or else replace it. Of course, your car is not covered if the problems or conditions are the result of an accident, negligence, any modification you have made or just plain neglect and failure to maintain your motor transportation.

It is your responsibility to report any issues or problems you have with your car to your dealer as soon as possible so repairs can be taken care of in a timely manner as sometimes issues that are not reported can be negligence on your part. It is also your responsibility as a consumer and purchaser of a motor vehicle in the State of Florida that you keep a record or any and all repairs done during your time of ownership. It is also your responsibility that you have only qualified technicians and authorized dealers work on you vehicle.

To qualify for a specific Florida lemon law case, you must have had your car or other motor vehicle in for repair of the same issue 3 times, and then notify the manufacturer and not just your dealer a final time by certified or registered mail one last opportunity to fix your vehicle. The manufacturer has up to 10 days to get back with you for a final repair solution and then 10 additional days to fix the problem and return the car to you. If these conditions are not met, you may qualify under the lemon law.

Your car can also qualify as a lemon if it has been in an authorized (your dealer will qualify) repair shop for the same or different issues for more than a 15 day cumulative period. Under these conditions you would need to take the same steps as listed above.

The next step in the process is arbitration and it may be in your interest to be represented by a lemon law attorney or lawyer at this point. Stay tunes for further updates and information on the Florida Lemon laws.