We are only on the eighth day of December, but so far 82 distressed drivers have received much needed remedy this month thanks to 1-800 LEMON LAW , including:

2010 Nissan Altima — BRAND NEW VEHICLE–Cincinatti, OH

2008 Volkkswagen EOS — COMPLETE REPURCHASE–Cheltenham, PA

2007 Cadillac Escalade purchased used with 26,000 miles — $5000 cash plus they keep their car — Pittsburgh, PA

2008 Infiniti QX56 — BRAND NEW VEHICLE — Lansdowne, PA

2009 Chrysler Town & Country — COMPLETE REPURCHASE — Mount Wolf, PA

2010 Buick Lucerne — COMPLETE REPURCHASE — Morristown, NJ

2008 Chevrolet Avalanche with 36,300 miles — $4,750 cash plus they keep their car — Hammonton, NJ

2011 Hyundai Sonata — BRAND NEW VEHICLE — Churchton, MD

2010 Lexus RX350 — COMPLETE REPURCHASE — Hanscom AFB, MA

2011 Jaguar XF with allignment issues — $5,500 cash plus they keep their car — Harrisburg, PA

2010 Jeep Patriot — COMPLETE REPURCHASE — Lewisburg, PA

2008 Saturn Outlook with 24,000 miles — $5,500 cash plus they keep their car — Collierville, TN

2004 Audi A4 with 61,000 mikes –$4,000 cash plus they keep their car — Dillsburg, PA

2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport — $4,875 cash plus they keep their car — Glenolden, PA

2008 Chevrolet Silverado with 25,000 miles (tried to fight GM on their own & got nowhere)– $4,000 cash plus they keep the car–Cleveland, OH

2007 Subaru Impreza with 87,000 miles — $3,500 cash plus they keep their car — Greensburg, PA

2008 Ford F-150 with 45,000 miles — $4,000 cash plus they keep their truck — Turnersville, NJ

2009 Buick Lacrosse — $5,200 cash plus they keep their car — Felton, DE

2008 Saturn Vue purchased used — $3,750 plus they keep their car — Riverside, NJ

2008 Buick Enclave with 44,000 miles — $6,000 plus they keep their ca r– Wintersville, OH

2010 Mazda 6 — $6,500 cash plus they keep their car — Harrisburg, PA

2008 Saturn Vue with 51,000 miles — $4,500 cash plus they keep their car — Belleville, MI

2009 GMC Sierra (problems fell right outside of Lemon Law, wasn’t sure they had a case) $6,000 cash plus they keep their vehicle — Pittsburgh, PA

2007 Mazda CX7 with 82,000 miles (engine problems started at 50,000 miles) — $7,500 cash plus they keep their car– Andrews AFB, MD

2008 Buick Enclave purchased used _- $5,750 cash plus tehy keep their car — Egg Harbor City, NJ

2008 Lambourghini Murcielago — COMPLETE REPURCHASE — Manalapin, NJ

If your car is in the shop more than it’s on the road, join the more than 55,000 consumers who have let Kimmel & Silverman help them on the road to recovery.  There is no cost and no risk.  If you would like to see if you are entitled to remedy under State or Federal Laws, call us at 1-800 LEMON LAW (1-800-536-6652) or e-mail us.  You have nothing to lose–except your lemon!

As you can expect, of the hundreds of calls and e-mails we receive each week at 1-800 LEMON LAW headquarters, we frequently see the same thing happening to consumers over and over throughout a variety of States.  Here are some defects we are seeing regularly among our clients.  (Keep in mind we are not saying everyone who purchases these cars will have these problems; we are just seeing a trend among our cases.)

Jeep Patriots continue to have massive water leak problems, as do GMC Acadias, Buick Enclaves and Saturn Outlooks.

Ford F-Trucks have diesel problems, resulting in check engine lights, black smoke and stalling among other issues.

BMW models ending in 35 seems to be suffering from fuel pump failure.

Have a Volkswagen EOS?  Having a problem getting the top up and down?  You are not alone. More and more VW claims are coming in with this issue.

Squeak, squeak, squeak go the brakes on Honda Accords.

We are seeing a lot of alignment issues with Toyota Camry and Lexus models.

In most Chryslers, especially the Town and Country and 300 models, we are seeing transmission shuttering.

Finally, the Dodge Grand Caravan sliding doors are causing massive headaches for many of our clients.

Kimmel & Silverman prides itself on having three full-time ASE certified mechanics who work on our clients’ behalf to review and research automotive defects.  If you are having a continuing problem with your car, chances are we have heard about it.  Feel free to contact us through our website or by calling 1-800 LEMON LAW (1-800-536-6652).

As previously reported in the Lemon Law Blog on June 4th, General Motors intends to accept responsibility for all lemon law and breach of warranty claims of past, present and future leases and sales.  A Reuters report confirmed General Motor’s responsibility, as the manufacturer moves forward with a bid to win court approval to reorganize the company.

The new GM would be 60 percent owned by the US government, 17.5 percent by the United Auto Workers union and 11.7 percent by the governments of Canada and the province of Ontario.   Under the reorganization plan, the new company would be created by late August.

In the meantime, we are moving forward with all General Motors lemon law and breach of warranty claims, including Pontiac, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Hummer, Saturn, and Cadillac. We currently have a system in place where we can advocate quickly for our clients’ rights, with cases being expedited efficiently.  We have been assured that GM is committed to making sure this continues and we applaud the company for continuing to make consumers’ rights a priority. Remedies include full repurchase, or full or partial refunds and as always the legal help is completely cost-free. 

As you can expect, we have successfully handled thousands upon thousands of GM lemon law cases through the years….Cadillacs, Buicks, Chevrolets, Corvettes, Pontiacs, Hummers, etc.  Founding Partner and Lemon Law Attorney Bob Silverman has taken charge of many of these cases, and he has always felt that, despite the fact the glitches occur, GM has constantly exhibited a strong commitment to quality and customer service.  We have also seen that many of our GM clients have illustrated tremendous brand loyalty, buying a brand new GM vehicle following their lemon law experience.  Thus, it is quite disheartening to hear that this once invinceable auto giant is suffering a tremendous amount of troubles and tribulations.

Bloomberg reports that the company has suffered a 16 percent decline in 2008 U.S. auto sales and the price of GM stocks is now at a 54-year low (Shares have tumbled 62% this year, the most among the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Indsutrial Average). However, despite continuous speculation that GM could file for bankruptcy in the next year, Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner says that the company has “no thoughts whatsoever” of bankruptcy.  Wagoner also says that Hummer is the only one of GM’s U.S. brands being studied for possible sale or shutdown. As gas prices continue to soar, the manufacturer will review the truck’s future and sales potential. He adds that the bankruptcy rumors have not resulted in any drop in sales, with GM sales falling less than 1 percent in the first three months of the year.

As a company, GM has not posted an annual increase since 2004, with no U.S. sales gain since 1999. Last year, they suffered an astounding $38.7 billion loss. Outside analysts say that in a worst case secnario, with sales continuing to decline and an inability to acquire much needed captial, GM might have to declare bankruptcy by the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010, but they put the odds of that happening at 25 percent.

Imagine driving down the road in your minivan and having your sliding door open while you’re vehicle is in motion….some as fast as 45 miles per hour.  We are getting repeated calls from folks with Chevrolet Uplanders, Saturn Relays, Buick Terrazas, and Pontiac Montanas with this problem, and we are working on several television stories dealing with this problem. You can read about this issue, and tips on how to deal with this problem by clicking here.  Using State Lemon Laws and the Federal Warranty Law,  we have succeeded in getting clients full and partial refunds as a result of this problem. Although General Motors is aware of the problem, there are no recalls issued as of now, so if you are dealing with the problem, it’s important that you take charge and fight for your rights.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Auto Makers Pile On Buyer Incentives

by Jonathan Welsh
Thursday, September 13, 2007provided by

The home-mortgage mess is hitting the auto business, as interest rates on car loans creep upward and many people find it hard to qualify for credit to buy a new vehicle. But for consumers with good credit, it’s deal time.

Auto dealers are eager to clear out a growing number of leftovers as 2008 models arrive. Some have more unsold current-year models than usual in stock, reflecting an industry wide sales picture that worsened through the year. Total U.S. auto sales could fall below 16 million vehicles this year, according to analysts — the lowest in a decade. To clear up the glut, some car makers — especially the Big Three U.S. companies — are using perks like rebates and low financing rates to attract interest.

Lincoln MKX, and Chrysler LLC is offering a $4,500 rebate on its 2007 minivans. Even the notoriously incentive-stingy Honda Motor Co. is offering below-market 2.9% financing on its popular Odyssey minivan. All told, the percentage of transactions involving rebates grew to 49% this summer from 42% a year ago, according to Power Information Network, a unit of researcher J.D. Power & Associates. In certain cases, buyers don’t even have to settle for the outgoing model: Some 2008 models also carry surprising incentives. Chrysler’s Jeep Commander, for example, offers a $3,000 rebate.

Assessing the effect of the subprime crisis

Difficulties in the subprime-mortgage business and the broader decline of home prices in many markets have hurt other parts of the economy, but car makers, dealers and others in the auto industry are still assessing their effect. The housing market has a big impact on consumers’ ability to afford a new vehicle, and many are buying less-expensive cars with fewer luxury features or putting off purchases altogether.

The result has contributed to the retail auto sales slowdown. The National Automobile Dealers Association had predicted earlier this year that 2007 sales of cars and light trucks in the U.S. would total about 16.5 million, roughly the same as last year. Now the trade group says sales could fall as low as 16.1 million.

At the same time, 24% of auto financing and leasing transactions in July and August had interest rates lower than 5%, compared with 33% in the year-earlier period, according to J.D. Power. In August, the average rate was 7.3%. Fuel prices also remain high, and a weak dollar continues to make certain European models expensive.

The National Automobile Finance Association, a trade group that represents subprime lenders, says the mortgage crisis and changes to federal law that make it more difficult for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection have driven up the number of car-loan delinquencies. The group says nearly 12% of subprime vehicle loans reported by its members were delinquent last year, up from 6.5% a year earlier.

Autumn: Best time to go car shopping

Savvy consumers have known for years that autumn is the best time to shop for a car. The pending flood of new models in October and November drives dealers to more aggressively market vehicles from the outgoing model year in the fall.

In the past 20 years or so, however, manufacturers have increasingly sought to set their new cars apart by bringing them to market at other times of the year. The practice has blurred the lines somewhat between this year’s and next year’s models. Manufacturers favor the approach because their vehicles tend to get more attention from consumers who aren’t distracted by the regular introduction of several competing models. For dealers, it’s a way to bring people into their showrooms during what would otherwise be slow periods.

British off-road vehicle maker Land Rover, a unit of Ford, rolled out its LR2 compact luxury SUV in April as a 2008 model. The early introduction placed it ahead of similar models expected from rivals. The car maker’s finance arm, Land Rover Capital Group, offers a 3.9% finance rate—on the low side for a new model. But consumers can often find attractive rates through banks and credit unions, so a car company’s so-called captive finance businesses often use lower rates as a way to draw more customers who would otherwise arrange loans elsewhere.

Christopher Marchand, Land Rover’s vice president of retail operations, says the 3.9% finance rate on the LR2 is “middle of the road” when compared with what buyers might find at a bank. Still, consumers who have watched finance rates increase lately are likely to find the rates attractive, says Paul Taylor, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association.

“In an increasingly more difficult credit environment, a range of 3.9% to 7.9% is looking pretty good,” Mr. Taylor says.

The well-reviewed Kia Sedona minivan, a product of Hyundai Motor Co., is offering buyers $3,000 cash back on 2007 models. General Motors corp. is dangling a huge rebate — as much as $7,500 — on its high-end Cadillac XLR, which lists for $78,335, and is offering 5.9% financing on the just-released 2008 Buick Enclave.

Chrysler’s Sebring, a midsize sedan that competes with top-selling models like Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry and Honda’s Accord, was redesigned about a year ago and is now available with 0% financing or a $1,500 rebate. Such deals are often advertised and relatively easy to find when researching cars on the Internet. However, there are other incentives that manufacturers dole out locally for dealers to use at their discretion.

Toyota rarely offers incentives on its best-selling Camry sedan or most of its other models, but a Toyota spokesman says the company does use so-called dealer incentives “for tactical purposes,” or on a case-by-case basis to attract customers.

And they do attract customers, even to vehicles that might seem unappealing. Though sales of gas-guzzling large pickup trucks like the Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram are down 2.2% for the year, Mr. Taylor says, there was an upswing of 9.1% in August sales thanks to “vigorous incentive competition” among makers like GM, Ford and Toyota that included rebates in some cases of several thousand dollars.

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