Released: April 06, 2007

Lemon owners can get a sweet result

Source: Jayne O'Donnell, USA Today

Buying a car that is a lemon — or at least, an awfully sour purchase — can leave consumers feeling hopeless. Not to mention often wheel-less.

But there is reason for hope even if your car has persistent problems ranging from safety-related to simply annoying. Every state has a lemon law protecting and spelling out your rights. Most declare vehicles lemons after up to four unsuccessful repair attempts within about 24,000 miles or 24 months, although the laws vary widely.

Beyond that, the car business is in tough enough shape that few dealers or manufacturers want to risk alienating a customer over a bad set of brakes, and will often save you the trouble of filing a lemon law claim.

“Manufacturers are always working to improve the quality and reliability of their products,” says Charles Territo of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents most major manufacturers. “Keeping consumers satisfied is our No. 1 priority.”

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