Used Car Lemon Law
You can get “Lemon Law”
relief in Ohio when you buy a used car, too!
 Used cars can be covered by
the Ohio Lemon Law if you got your vehicle within one year
and 18,000 miles of its original, “new” delivery.
Not only that, but if you got your used vehicle after that,
you may still be able to get the same “Lemon Law” kind
of relief under other laws.
The Ohio Lemon Law Covers Used Cars, too!
If your car
(or other motor vehicle) had less than 18,000 miles on
it and you got the vehicle within one year of its original
delivery date, then the Ohio Lemon Law can cover you. Find
out if you fit the Ohio Lemon Law by taking our Lemon
Law Test.
The Federal Lemon Law Covers
Used Cars.
The Federal Magnuson
Moss Warranty Act was the first “lemon”
law ever passed and it can cover your used car, no matter
how old it may be. If you get a warranty from the dealer
when you get your used car, then this Federal Warranty law
will cover you. It requires that the warrantor (usually the
selling dealer) to repair it within a reasonable number of
attempts and a reasonable amount of time. If your vehicle
is in the shop too long for warranty repairs, or too many
times, then you may be entitled to your money back.
 Even if you didn’t get a “warranty” but
you did get a “service contract” (what some automobile
dealers call an “extended warranty”) from the
dealer when you got the used car, then you may still have
the same rights! This federal law applies when you get a “service
contract”
from the selling dealer at any time up to 90 days after you
acquired the vehicle. There is no mileage limit and it doesn’t
matter how old the automobile is when you buy it. The only
question is, did you get a warranty or a service contract
from the dealer? If you did, then you may have more legal
rights than you think —
and a lot more legal rights than the dealer wants to hear
about!
Ohio’s Consumer Sales
Law Gives You “Lemon” Protection, too!
In
addition, Ohio has a Consumer
Sales Practices Act that governs virtually all retail
vehicle sales and lease transactions. This law makes it illegal
for any car dealer to misrepresent the vehicle’s mileage,
performance, accessories, make, model, year, whether the
vehicle is new or used, that the dealer has any sort of affiliation
that it doesn’t have, or to misrepresent any warranty
or rights or remedies that you have or are available. Under
this law you may be able to cancel the deal and get your
money back. In some cases, you may even be able to recover
three times your actual damages instead of cancelling the
vehicle transaction.
Ohio’s Motor Vehicle Sales
Rule Can Protect You.
On top of all that, Ohio has a specific
law that governs motor vehicle dealers in retail sales
and leases. This law makes it illegal for a car dealer to
misrepresent practically any aspect of anything that is happening
in your transaction, including the vehicle itself or any
material aspect of it, the financing terms, the sale terms,
whether it’s
a sale or a lease, how much you are getting for your trade in
vehicle, and more. This law covers used or new vehicle transactions,
no matter what kind of motor vehicle is involved. A violation
of this law could give you the right to cancel the deal, recover
three times your actual damages, or just get $200 even if you
are happy with the vehicle and the deal you struck (the idea
is to keep the car dealer honest). Plus, this law can make the
car dealer pay your attorney fees!
The Used Car Window Sticker Form
Federal and state laws required all car dealers to put a
Used Car Window Sticker on the window of each used car or
truck before they can display the vehicle for sale.
You can click
here to see the “Buyers Guide” form that must be used to comply with the Used Car Window Sticker
Rule. Car dealers are not allowed to use any other form and
they are not allowed to modify this form either. All they
can do is fill in the blanks.
Some dealers don’t even use the used car window sticker
form at all. Other dealers use them but don’t fill
the form out. Still other dealers use a similar kind of form
instead of the one required by law. No if’s, and’s
or but’s about it — the dealer is required to
use the right form and the dealer is required to fill it
out the right way.
The dealer has to fill out the buyers guide form correctly,
both the front side and the back side. On the front side,
the dealer is supposed to say whether you are buying the
car “as is” or with a warranty. On the back side,
the dealer is required to write down the dealer’s name
and address and the name and phone number of who you can
complain to about the vehicle.
Many dealers fail to comply with this law. That failure, all
by itself, may give you the right to cancel your deal and get
your money back!
Bottom Line: You Probably Have
More Legal Rights Than You Know About.
If your used car
turns out to be a “lemon”,
the odds are that Ohio has a law that can protect and help you.
To find out more, contact us.
Recalls Still Have to be Fixed
for Free.
Even when your vehicle is out of warranty, if
a safety defect recall exists the manufacturer still has
to repair it for free. To find our more about Recalls, click
here. If they won’t or can't fix it, or if they
try to charge you for the repairs, contact
us .
|
