You are driving down the street, your window open, the wind hitting your face, your music blasting, and you’re smiling. You’re enjoying the ride. The ride you purchased or leased. The ride that provides you with value, safety, use. Value, safety and use that has been guaranteed to you by the manufacturer for a certain amount of time, or miles.

All of a sudden, your car begins shuddering, hesitating between gear changes, and eventually stalls. The check engine light turns on. Your car is now overheating. You try to turn it back on to get it over to the side of the road. You can’t get the car back on. You call a tow truck company to come tow your vehicle to the manufacturer’s authorized dealership for repairs. You get your car back, and BOOM, you experience the same issue again. You realize that your car might be defective. Your manufacturer can’t fix it. The vehicle you got does not live up to the warranty that they provided. You could be driving a LEMON.

If you think you might be driving a lemon, there are some general things you should know:

1. Know your warranty information. Most cars have bumper to bumper warranties, and powertrain warranties. Basic warranties cover mostly everything on the vehicle from bumper to bumper. These warranties are usually short, either 3 years or 36,000 miles. Powertrain warranties usually last longer, and cover more mileage. Check your documents to see how long your warranties last. While you are under the warranty period, be hypersensitive about your vehicle’s issues. Take your vehicle in to the authorized dealership for repairs any time you experience an issue with your car.
2. It’s time to start saving all documents, repair invoices, repair orders, communications with the dealership, etc. The more documents you have to prove that your car does not conform to the warranty provided by the manufacturer, the better.
3. Never take your car to a body shop that is not a manufacturer’s authorized dealership. The manufacturer must be provided with reasonable opportunity to repair your vehicle. If you take it to your family’s mechanic, the manufacturer would not be provided with opportunity to fix your car.

These tips will allow your attorney to better handle your case and to prove that the Manufacturer cannot conform your vehicle to the warranty. If you think you might be driving a lemon, give us a call for a Free Consultation!