All fifty states have enacted their own version of lemon law; the law was created to provide a way in which consumers could attain a refund of the purchase price or a replacement vehicle. Lemon laws are slightly different from one state to the next. The Alabama lemon law applies to vehicles intended for use on public roads which are self-propelled and weight less than 10,000 pounds; the law does not cover motor homes of any weight or size.
The rules in Alabama:
For a vehicle to qualify as a lemon in the state of Alabama it must meet certain criteria:
* The vehicle cannot be over two years old or it must not have more than 24,000 miles on the odometer.
* The manufacturer of the vehicle or the manufacturer’s agent or dealer must have been given three chances minimum to affect the repair
* The vehicle must have been in the possession of the manufacturer, his agent or dealer for at least 30 days and unavailable to the owner
Although the repairs can be made by the manufacturers authorized agent or dealer, neither of these are considered to be at fault for the vehicle being considered a lemon, the blame for the vehicles condition lies completely with the manufacturer.
Under the Alabama lemon law, if the vehicle has been found to meet the criteria and qualifies as a lemon the manufacturer is given two options:
* Replace the vehicle with a new one which is basically comparable to the lemon
Or
* Refund the purchase price, any sales taxes paid, title fees, registration fees and any accumulated finance charges.
The recourse is what the consumer wishes, not the manufacturer.
How to get satisfaction:
Once the vehicle has gone through the repair process and the problem has not been rectified the consumer must first report the fact to the manufacturer or dealer. Although it is not mandatory it is recommended that the consumer affairs department of the Alabama Attorney General’s office also be advised of the action.
It is not good enough to simply claim the vehicle is a lemon under the Alabama lemon law; this claim must be substantiated with documentation. When any vehicle is purchased new there is no way to know in advance if it is a lemon, so as to be in a position to support a claim all vehicle purchasers should keep any and all documentation that pertains to any repairs made as well as the current odometer reading and the dates the car was unavailable.
The Alabama lemon law provides consumers with recourse in the event they purchase a vehicle with a fault that cannot be rectified. For more information you are invited to visit the web site YourLemonLawRights.com.
