Lemon Law Basics: Pennsylvania Lemon Laws
Summary of Pennsylvania Lemon Law
What vehicles are covered under Pennsylvania lemon law?
Pennsylvania lemon law covers new passenger vehicles which were bought,
leased, or registered in Pennsylvania after December 1, 2002. The vehicle
must be used for personal reasons, must be driven on public roads, and
must not be able to transport more than 15 people to be covered by the
Pennsylvania lemon law.
What protections do I have under Pennsylvania lemon law?
Pennsylvania lemon law stipulates that if a vehicle has a serious defect
which prevents it from conforming to its warranty, and the consumer reports
this nonconformity to the manufacturer within the warranty period, the
first 12,000 miles, or first year of possession, then the manufacturer
must repair the nonconformity at no cost. A serious defect is one that
negatively affects the vehicle's use, safety, or value. Repairs must take
place at the manufacturer's authorized repair facility in Pennsylvania,
unless the nonconformity prevents the vehicle from being brought to an
authorized repair location.
Pennsylvania lemon law also states that if the manufacturer is unable
to repair the nonconformity within a reasonable number of attempts, the
vehicle must be repurchased or replaced.
What must occur before seeking settlement under the Pennsylvania lemon
law?
The manufacturer is presumed to have had a reasonable number of repair
attempts under Pennsylvania lemon law after three unsuccessful attempts
to repair the same nonconformity, or after the vehicle has been out of
commission for 30 calendar days for repairs.
Filing a claim under Pennsylvania lemon law
According to Pennsylvania lemon law, if the manufacturer offers an informal
arbitration board for dealing with lemon law complaints, the consumer
must attempt to resolve the problem through this board before bringing
a case to the judiciary system.
What are the settlement details under Pennsylvania lemon law?
If a vehicle is repurchased under Pennsylvania lemon law, the manufacturer
must pay a sum which includes the total price paid for the vehicle and
all charges associated with the vehicle, such as finance charges. A reasonable
offset for usage of the vehicle is subtracted from this sum. The offset
can be no more than $0.10 per mile driven or 10% of the vehicle price,
whichever is less.
If a vehicle is replaced under Pennsylvania lemon law, the new vehicle
must be comparable to the original, and no usage offset may be levied.
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