Don't get squeezed by the lemon

  • Published
  • By Base Legal Office
  • 19th Airlift Wing
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  With the spring in full swing, we tend to see an increase in our Airmen purchasing new vehicles.

While most Airmen are usually satisfied with their purchases, there are always a handful who are far less than ecstatic. The Arkansas Lemon Law helps protect consumers from broken automobiles and can be your solution in a time of need.

The Lemon Law is written to protect consumers from defective equipment. Basically, if a new car doesn't work properly drivers get a replacement or refund. The Lemon Law explains what constitutes as a lemon, the solutions to fix the issues and the remedies available for compensation for a car that can't be fixed.

Consumers are expected to try to resolve the problem directly with the vehicle's manufacturer and the authorized dealer. The manufacturer has issued a vehicle warranty and the dealer should be able to facilitate repairs for you.

If a new vehicle is defective in such a way that may cause death or serious injury, it could meet the Arkansas Lemon Law criteria. However, the vehicle is only covered for the longest time of either:

· 24,000 miles
· 24 months OR

The duration of the manufacturer's warranty.

NOTE: The Arkansas Lemon Law does not cover:

· Mopeds
· Motorcycles
· The living area in a motorhome
· Vehicles weighing more than 13, 000 lbs.

Consumers need to contact the manufacturer or authorized dealer to allow them a number of attempts to repair the problem. After repeated attempts to a car and failing to do so, within 40 days the manufacturer must either:

· Replace your defective car OR
· Repurchase and refund you the value of the car.

Most often, consumers will find the manufacturer agreeable because they want lifelong customers and negative publicity can be costly and damaging to a manufacturer or dealer.

If the Lemon Law vehicle issue with the vehicle's manufacturer cannot be settled, people can hire an attorney and contact the consumer department in the Office of the Attorney General to file a consumer complaint.