Lemon Law Blog

If your car spends more time in the shop than it does on the road, free lemon law help is available. The best part – it won’t cost you a thing.

Michael Sacks, an automotive consumer advocate and director of communications for 1-800 Lemon Law,  was recently featured on KYW TV’s “Talk Philly” to discuss distressed drivers’ rights under the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware Lemon Laws.  many folks are unaware that the Lemon law provides completely free legal representation and consumers can be entitled to a new car, a full repurchase, or significant monetary compensation and continued ownership of their car.   To date,  1 800 LEMON LAW has provided free lemon law help to more than 65,000 consumers throughout the Northeast.  

If you feel you may have a lemon car on your hands and would like free lemon law help, call us at 1 800 Lemon Law ( -800 536-6652) or fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form.  You have nothing to lose, except your lemon!

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Driving a Chevrolet Cruze?  Check your coolant levels because it appears that there may be a problem.  Forums are popping up discussing the issue and we recently opened a claim where the car has been in the shop for over six weeks for a coolant leak because parts are unavailable.   In another situation, a consumer is complaining of coolant leaking into the car.

If you smell coolant or see a puddle under your Chevrolet Cruze, it is essential that you get to a General Motors authorized dealership as soon as possible to have the issue diagnosed and fixed.  Make sure that after your car is repaired, you receive a detailed invoice which outlines the problem, the fix, the mileage and the days out of service.  If a part is on back order or the problem continues to occur, you should look into your rights under State Lemon Laws and Federal Warranty Law.  You could be looking at a complete repurchase or a new vehicle and legal help is completely free.

For more information on your rights under the Lemon Law if you are dealing with a Chevrolet Cruze coolant leak, contact an attorney in your state.  You can view a list of Lemon Law attorneys by clicking here.

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The Lemon Law seems so cut and dry, so easy, so black and white…you are in the shop a continuous number of times for the same problem and the manufacturer is supposed to give you a new car or full refund, right?  There should be no ifs, and or buts about it, according to some consumers.  Sadly, it is not that easy. And that is why there is a need for Lemon Law Lawyers.

This is a David vs. Goliath situation.  The consumer is battling a billion dollar car company, arguing that the product they purchased is inferior and they are deserving of recourse.  But, how can the consumer and the company be on equal footing, preventing the car company from bullying the consumer through the court system?  The answer lies in the fee-shifting provisions of State Lemon Laws and Federal Warranty Laws.  The Laws say that if the consumer prevails, the manufacturer must pay all attorney fees and legal costs ON TOP OF what the consumer receives.  Furthermore, if a Lemon Law Firm is confident of their abilities, they should make it clear that there will be no cost if for some reason you do not prevail.  Therefore, win or lose, the consumer should have no cost and no risk when it comes to filing a claim.

So, what are the benefits of using an experienced Lemon Law Lawyer?  First and foremost, they have knowledge of the statutes and access to case law.  They know when a manufacturer is making an offer that’s sub par and when the car company truly wants to do right by the consumer.  Experienced Lemon Law Attorneys have immediate access to manufacturers counsel.  If they have a solid reputation of fighting claims in court, the manufacturer is much more likely to take their representation seriously, many times resolving a claim very quickly through pre-litigation channels.  Remember, a manufacturer must pay attorney fees on top of what the consumer receives, so if the consumer has a strong Lemon Law claim, it does not benefit the manufacturer to drag it through the legal system and pay large attorney fees.  Rather, they want to settle it as quickly as possible and pay as little in attorney fees as they need to.  Many manufacturers work with our firm to offer comprehensive pre-litigation programs.  And if no offer is made or the offer does not meet the consumer’s satisfaction, we move forward with the litigation process.

We are also seeing many manufacturers who are taking advantage of unrepresented consumers, offering them buybacks with high usage fees or swaps that are actually trades.   The car companies are well aware of what they are doing and the consumer thinks that they are smart enough that they do not need the free legal representation afforded by the Lemon Law.  Then, they call us after the fact and we tell them that in most cases, their errors can be not be fixed, resulting in receiving thousands less than they are entitled to.   We also see consumers who elect to represent themselves in Lemon Law claims with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) or their State Attorney General’s Lemon Law program only to be defeated by the manufacturer’s high priced experts and attorneys hired to defeat their claims.  And in some cases, like in New Jersey, Attorney General Lemon Law rulings are binding.  There are quite a few claims where we see the consumer defeated where we know based on our experience and our ASE-certified experts (free of charge to all Kimmel and Silverman clients) that we could have succeeded.

So, take advantage of experience, knowledge and reputation of qualified Lemon Law Attorneys if you find yourself with a defective vehicle.  It’s a free service that the Law allows for you and if you don’t take advantage of it, you could find yourself stranded down the road.

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The GMC Acadia water leak issue continues to be a problem. As far back as 2009, we were writing how GMC Acadia drivers were dealing with a water leak problem which was leaving them and their passengers “all wet,” not to mention the floor boards and the electrical systems.   Sadly, the problem is now occurring in 2010 and 2011 GMC Acadia vehicles as well.

The good news is we have successfully resolved numerous water leak claims for this vehicle.  If you are suffering with a water leak in your GMC Acadia, make sure you return to a General Motors authorized dealer at your earliest opportunity.  Try to pinpoint where the leak is coming from so you can provide as much helpful information as possible to your service adviser.  Make sure when you pick the vehicle up from service that you also receive a repair invoice which outlines the water leak problem and what was done to address the situation.    Check for mold, mildew and headliner stains as well.  If the problems continue, you need to keep bringing the Acadia back.

If you are back to the dealer three or more times, you could be entitled to free legal representation under State Lemon Laws or Federal Warranty Laws.  You could be looking at a repurchase, a new vehicle or a partial refund and continued ownership of the Acadia.  Remember, under the Lemon Law and Federal Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, legal representation is completely free , so you have nothing to lose except your (wet) lemon.    If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line or call us at 1 800 LEMON LAW.

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We are receiving a large number of calls to the 1-800 Lemon Law hotline pertaining to brake and rotors problems with Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles. While dealers sometimes say that brakes are normal wear and tear items, we are finding rotors and pads that need to be replaced every 5,000 -10,000 miles, and that is certainly not the norm.

If you are experiencing grinding brakes, trouble stopping or your brake pedal pushes to the ground, continue going back to an authorized Dodge or Chrysler dealership to have the problem addressed. Make sure you hold on to every repair invoice. And if you are back in the shop repeated times, regardless of whether you are paying for the repairs, contact a Lemon Law attorney to discuss your rights under state and/or federal law. You could be entitled to free legal representation under the fee-shifting provisions of your state’s Lemon Law.  You can find a list of lemon law attorneys throughout the country by clicking here.

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We have previously reported about the numerous problems Ford and Lincoln drivers are encountering with their Microsoft Sync/My Touch systems. Dropped calls, navigation failure and computer issues are just the tip of the iceberg; and now many consumers are being told another software fix will not be available until June 2012. We have seen this problem in numerous Ford models, including the Edge, Focus, Explorer and Escape as well as the Lincoln models, most notably the MKX; and we have already represented numerous clients throughoutPennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and much of the rest of the Northeast who are dealing with this situation.

If you are back to a Ford or Lincoln authorized dealership three or more times for problems with your Sync, it is imperative that you look into your Lemon Law and Breach of Warranty rights. You could be entitled to free legal representation and either a new vehicle, a complete repurchase or significant monetary compensation based upon your issue. Beware of dealers offering to make a couple payments to comfort the blow; this could serve as a settlement and ruin your Lemon Law claim. You are entitled to certain remedies and the responsibility lies on the manufacturer, not the dealer. If the dealer is offering something that you feel is less than you deserve, chances are it is less than you deserve.

For more information regarding your sync situation and to see if you qualify for free Lemon Law or Breach of Warranty representation, please fill out our Get Rid of Your Lemon form by clicking here. We will review your information and see if recourse is available.

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