Lemon Law Refunds, Repurchases, Replacements…Oh My!
Anyone who regularly reads our blog knows that we care a great deal about Lemon Law and automotive consumer issues. We take great pride in the thousands of cases we successfully resolve every year. 2014 is off to an amazing start and here is a small sampling of the refunds and replacements we have achieved so far this year under State Lemon Laws and Federal Warranty Statutes. (And remember, under these laws, legal representation is completely free to the consumer.)
2012 Jaguar XF with fuel pump shutting off before car was full. Jaguar offered client $1,000 before he contacted us. He received a full repurchase under the New Jersey Lemon Law. Settled in 15 days.
2014 Fiat 500L with check engine lights and electrical problems, brand new car under the Pennsylvania Lemon Law.
2013 Nissan 370z with loss of power, brand new car under New Jersey Lemon Law.
2013 Ford Escape in 3x for check engine light. Client received $4,500 plus they kept their car.
Used 2012 Volkswagen Passat with electrical problems. Client received $3,250 plus he kept his car. Case settled in 9 days.
2013 Dodge Durango, smell from engine x5, full repurchase under Delaware Lemon Law. Case settled in less than 90 days.
2014 Infiniti QX50, navigation failure x10, full repurchase under Connecticut Lemon Law. Case settled in less than 60 days.
2012 Ford Focus with engine issues. Client was told they could not duplicate problem and they kept going back until it was verified and fixed. Client received $6,000 plus they kept their car.
2009 Volvo S40 with 53,000 miles at sign-up. In 4x for water leak under warranty. Client received $5,500 plus they kept their car.
2012 Mini Cooper in for check engine lights 4x, full repurchase under Connecticut Lemon Law.
2013 Volvo S60 in 3x for slow start. Client received $8,500 plus kept their car. Settled in 30 days.
Used 2012 GMC Acadia with 35,000 miles and airbag light problem. Client received $5,000 plus kept their truck. Settled in less than 45 days.
2012 Ford Focus with 29,000 miles and a lunging transmission that was updated 4x. Client received $3,500 plus kept their car.
2014 Buick Enclave with fuel smell and gas cap error, brand new vehicle under New Jersey Lemon law. Settled in less than 20 days.
2012 Volkswagen CC with 33,000 miles, check engine light plus multiple other issues, full repurchase under New York Lemon Law. Settled in 2 weeks.
2013 Dodge Ram with delayed shift and radio/u-connect problems, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law.
2012 Subaru Outback with transmission locking up and noise in the rear. Full repurchase under Ohio Lemon Law. Settled in 30 days.
2012 Volkswagen Touareg with 32,000 miles, engine noise x4, full repurchase under Magnsuon Moss Warranty Act. Settled in less than 45 days.
2012 Ford F150 with 25,000 miles and vibration in transmission. Client received $4,500 plus kept their truck.
2013 Dodge Ram that did not start-in shop 4x, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Settled in less than 90 days
2011 Subaru Forester with oil consumption problem. Client received $3,500 plus extended warranty. Settled in 30 days.
2014 Chevrolet Silverado with vibration in steering wheel, full repurchase under New York Lemon Law. Settled in less than 60 days.
2008 Buick Enclave in 4x for all wheel drive problems. Client received $4,750 plus kept their car.
2013 Ford Focus in 4x for airbag light. Client received $4,500 plus they kept their car.
2013 Nissan Armada banging underneath 4x, full repurchase under New York Lemon Law. Settled in less than 30 days.
2012 Volvo C70 with roof knocking. Client receives $6,000 plus kept their car.
Used 2010 Audi A5 with oil consumption problem starting at 30,000 miles. Client received $5,000 plus kept their car.
2012 Ford F250 with problems shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. Client received $6,000 plus they kept their truck.
2013 Nissan Altima in 4x for airbag light, full repurchase under Ohio Lemon Law. Settled in less than 60 days.
2012 Volkswagen CC with 33,000 miles. Experienced check engine lights and multiple other electrical problems. Full repurchase under New York Lemon Law. Settled in 2 weeks.
2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer with 57,000 miles in 5x for check engine light. Client received $4,000 plus kept their car.
2014 Hyundai Santa Fe in 6x for check engine light, brand new car under Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Settled in 45 days.
2014 Nissan Pathfinder in 3x for fuel gauge issues, full repurchase under New Jersey Lemon Law. Settled in less than 20 days.
2012 Toyota Tundra with injector valve failure, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Settled in less than 20 days.
2011 Nissan XTerra in 5x with water leak, full repurchase under New Jersey Lemon Law.
2010 Audi A3 with 47,000 miles and transmission problems. Client receives $3,750 plus keeps their car.
2013 Volkswagen Passat with loss of power x3, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Settled in less than 30 days.
2013 Suzuki SXR with rough start problem, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Settled in 40 days.
2014 Chevrolet Spark in 3x for check engine light, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law.
2013 Niossan Pathfinder with transmission shudder, full repurchase under New Jersey Lemon Law.
2013 Chrysler 300s with valve body problems, full repurchase under New Jersey Lemon Law.
2013 Volvo XC90 with water leak, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law.
2013 Hyundai Elantra with alignment issues, full repurchase under New Jersey Lemon Law.
2012 Volkswagen Touareg in 4x for engine noise. Called in with 32,000 miles. Received a full repurchase under Magnuson Moss Warranty Act. Settled in 45 days.
2012 Subaru Outback with a transmission that locks up and noise in the rear, full repurchase under the Ohio Lemon Law. Settled in less than 30 days.
2011 Nissan Maxima with the sunroof not opening 3x, full repurchase under Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Settled in 30 days.
2013 Toyota Scion with no start and window problems. Full repurchase under Magnuson Moss Warranty Act.
2013 Nissan Sentra with a transmission problem where the car would not go into second gear, full repurchase under New Jersey Lemon Law. Settled in less than 30 days.
It’s a quite a list and we are extremely proud! As always, we remind you that every case is different and we cannot and will not promise any particular outcome. What we can promise is that our representation is 100% cost-free, and there is never a cost or risk to file a claim. If you have a lemon car, join the 75,000 consumers who have turned to us to get back on the road to recovery. Driving a lemon? Make the call to 1 800 LEMON LAW or fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form.
May 7th, 2014 at 11:41 pm
I have a 2001 for explorer that i purchased with a badly crack and checker boarding paint on the hood (it look like a mud field that has dried out in the sun).
I was going to replace the hood and have it painted to match. But since the purchase, the entire rest of the vehicles paint is now checkering.
So I took it to a local ford dealers Body shop and they told me that FORD had serious problems with black paint issue in 2001-2001. But that mine was the worst they had ever seen. I asked him will ford stand behind their factory paint job, He told me to forget it, as ford will not honor a factory paint problem on a 2001, even though FORD knows its a factory defect.
I requested a estimate from the FORD Dealer and he gave me a written estimate of $9800.00. I ask why so much! He said it was the only way to stop the paint from continuing to checker and flake off. He said it had to be sand blasted to bare metal, I asked him, the entire truck and he said yes. He said the entire truck and to do so, that they needed to remove and disassemble all the windows and doors, bumpers and trim, and body, and then send it to a media blaster to remove the ALL THE FACTORY paint to bare metal. I wrote ford and Ford never responded and the Dealer just laughed at me. He told me to junk my truck was his best advice and buy a new one.
I took then took it to a private body shop and they said the same thing must be done, But they would only charge me $ 7800.00 to do it.
Can anyone help me with this matter. The private Body shop suggested that I get it vinyl wrapped that way it would at least look nice for a couple of years.
May 8th, 2014 at 11:14 am
I would certainly visit edmunds.com and the town hall forum. I am certain that there is a Ford paint forum somehwere amongst the topics. Also, google “zestar.” They are a paint company that has been providing advice to other folks who complained on this blog about ford paint defects. Good luck to you!
May 9th, 2014 at 6:48 pm
Bought my 2012 Ford Focus brand new. 4 times been in the shop for lunging/grinding/shaking transmission issues. Am on my second transmission and took it in a week ago. Has been reprogrammed 3 times. Issues still there. What is my next step? I don’t feel safe in this vehicle and I’m scared it’s gonna turn into a money pit.
May 13th, 2014 at 8:14 am
@FocusGirl: It’s time to look into your lemon law rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and we will review your claim for free and determine if/how/who can help.
June 14th, 2014 at 12:32 am
i purchase 2012 audi q5 35.000 miles after 3 months i bring it to the dealer for service and they found a leak on the water pump and they replace now i notice that when i turn on the car the engine shakes a little bit for abouth 2 minutes and also i notice that the car some times make a lot smoke like a old car. is there anything i can do to return the car and get my money back? i have the car for only 5 months
June 19th, 2014 at 5:50 pm
We bought a chevy spark2013 last year. and less than a year we’ve been going back and fort to the dealer’s shop and until they said that they will repurchase our car but as what they said that I will be owing the balance for my chevy and they will roll it over to the new loan that we will be getting for another car. and I was reading the lemon law it says that they should pay my balance and give me the enough money to put in for a new car. they were saying that the money I put in for my monthly payment for this car wont exist no more and that would make me upside down. its like i would be carrying the old loan and the new loan for a new car. please help.
June 20th, 2014 at 2:24 pm
@Spark2013: It sounds like GM is taking advantage of the fact that you do not have a lemon law lawyer. We hear countless stories from folks who get a lot less than they are entitled to. This is why the Lemon Law offers free legal representation. Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a lemon law firm in your state that can help.
June 20th, 2014 at 2:49 pm
@Eduardo: How many times have you been back for the problem? Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemon-law-firm.html to find a firm who can help you.
June 4th, 2015 at 3:46 am
Greetings! I’m so sorry that I must bother you, but I’m upset and very fustrated. My husband surprised me and purchased a car for me in September of 2010. I was out of town for two weeks. When I returned he presented me with a 2002 Jaguar XK8.
He went and bought this car as is, without an extended warranty. In the third week I went to get the plates for the car. I tell the salesperson about the rearview mirrors malfunctioning. He goes and gets some crazy glue to keep it in place. He’s stupid, that will never work. The jumblers are broken and mirror is too heavy too support any upright position. The crazy glue proves to be temporary. It is also a driving hazard.
The very next week in October the car completely shuts down on me as I barely make it into my driveway one night. We have to replace the alternator. My stubborn husband refused to listen to me when I said “Take that car back to Jaguar!” When the tow truck guy came he says “Which Jaguar dealership are we going to folks.”
My husband huffs and walks away. The tow truck guy, whose name is Tom, says “What did I say?” I replied “The right thing!” My husband got it fixed by a mechanic he knew. In December the car shut down once again on me in the dark, about a mile from my house. Once again I call AAA. when the tow truck pulls up, the driver gets out and says to me “Same thing, Alecia?” I looked up and it was Tom, once again.
This time I was in tears. I feel I can’t trust this car. I do too much driving to keep breaking down like this. After we get the car out of the shop again, not Jaguar, we put the car in storage for the winter. We go back in June to get the car out and it won’t start. Now we have to buy a battery and another alternator this time from Jaguar.
The car runs fine for the rest of the summer, except the mirror is still broken, the glue must have released its hold. In December we put the car back in storage. In July we go back to get the car, it won’t start. We get another battery from Jaguar. Then two weeks later the car tries to shut down on me, but I shut it off. The alternator is bad once again. I’m beginning to believe this car is Christine!
In August I’m so fustrated with the mirror situation I’m trying to get it to stay an accidentally shatters the window shield. Now, I’m so pissed off. After another $200 for the special glass, the windows is fixed. In November I put the car up in storage. Last year in July, I went to get the car it wouldn’t start. I took us four hours to recharge it enough to go home. The next day I had to buy another battery for this car. After that afternoon I only drove the car three more times, for a total of five times last year. What shut me down from driving it, I got an error message which read “restricted performance! I have no idea what that meant and I had no more of nothing to give this lemon of a car. This spring I decided to try again with the lemon. Only this time I need seven grand to fix all that’s wrong with my car, and that didn’t include the darn mirror or the hanging lining overhead whose glue that happens to give out on me as well.
I called Jaguar and gave them a piece of my mind. I told them this makes no sense. I never want to just keep replacing the same stuff over and over. They said they would look into it. Yeah, right everything is always up to Jaguar. What should I do about the lemon no one wants to call a lemon? I’m at my wits end. We have put way too money it this car!
Thank you for listening to me vent
June 5th, 2015 at 2:49 pm
@Alecia: “As is” is a big warning sign for consumers. Before you buy any used car, you must do your due diligence. Check out our Lemon Dodger used car buying worksheet at https://www.lemonlaw.com/lemondodger.html.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:25 am
The transmission went out in my 2013 Subaru Impreza at 29,000. it was in the shop for 23 days and I just picked it up. Now the air conditioner is not working. I am just devastated. I did all of the required maintenance on this car. I feel like if the transmission went out that soon. It is a lemon.
December 22nd, 2015 at 4:03 pm
@Daisy: Once you are back three or more times for one particular issue, I would certainly look into your rights. Visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html for a free case review.
May 16th, 2016 at 11:44 am
I have a 2014 Dodge Dart 2.4 liter automatic. It has been in the shop over 12 different times for oil consumption tests, oil checked every 1000 miles. Chrysler rebuild my engine under warranty. 5000 miles later car is beginning to stall out and using oil same as before the rebuild. My Uconnect radio resets about once a week. And is now not even picking up local radio stations as it once did. I’m tired of being spun every which way by Dodge Dealers and Dodge customer service call center. My issues have been escalated to their tier2 customer service department. Once I was contacted by them they said they wanted to know what they could do to make me a satisfied customer. I told them to buy it back. That request was supposed to be sent to that department within Dodge Customer Service. I was sent a email saying that their computers were down and my local dealer was going to be contacted for the information on my car. So if their computers at Customer Service are down that makes now understand what type of company I’m dealing with. My 2014 Dart has a break recall out there but Dodge doesn’t have the parts to fix the problem. I received the recall 6 months ago and it states that “vehicle may crash without any warning due to oil on my brake system”. So I’m basically driving my family around in a time bomb and I’m required to pay them a monthly payment. I’ve had at least 6 rentals. I tired of dealing with people 1) who have no idea what these cars are doing, or 2) maybe they are just playing dumb. I choose option (2).
Thanks,
Todd Bartlett
May 18th, 2016 at 12:37 pm
My husband bought me a 2016 brand new Ford Explorer after 2 months transmission went out only 4000 miles. They have had my car for 33 days now and still don’t have parts. Instead of putting a new transmission in a brand new car like i have requested they are taking mine a part and it will be like a rebuilt transmisson in a new car that hasn’t even had its first transmisson. i don’t recommend any one dealing with Ford.