OhiO 's Lemon Law
How Can I Protect Myself?
If you buy a new vehicle, please take the following precautions just in case it turns out to be a lemon. It will cost you nothing if you do. It could cost you thousands of dollars if you do not.
• Your best protection is good record keeping and an accurate maintenance history.
• Keep all warranty and repair orders.
Each order should contain a fully itemized list of repairs, show what the repairs cost and include the length of time the car was in the shop. Check every work order you receive to make sure it includes all the information, even if the work was done under warranty.
• Write down your vehicle’s problemsand defects.
Give a copy of the list to the service person at the dealership. Any recurring problems should be described the same way each time you take the car back.
• Read and understand your owner’s manual. Follow the maintenance requirements. If the manufacturer can show that you have not maintained your car properly, you might not be eligible for a refund or replacement. Once a manufacturer repurchases a vehicle, it must “brand” (place a notationupon) the resale title. The notice should say:
If you buy a new vehicle, please take the following precautions just in case it turns out to be a lemon. It will cost you nothing if you do. It could cost you thousands of dollars if you do not.
Each order should contain a fully itemized list of repairs, show what the repairs cost and include the length of time the car was in the shop. Check every work order you receive to make sure it includes all the information, even if the work was done under warranty.
Give a copy of the list to the service person at the dealership. Any recurring problems should be described the same way each time you take the car back.
BUYBACK: This vehicle was
returned to the manufactuer
because it may not have
conformed to its warranty.
returned to the manufactuer
because it may not have
conformed to its warranty.
Practices Act. If this is the case, the Attorney General’s Office can file a legal action against the automaker or its dealer for a refund of the purchase price and seek a civil penalty. You also have the right to file your own lawsuit to recoveryour money.
Part of the 1999 amendments to the Ohio Lemon Law include expanding the definition of a “buyback” to clearly include all vehicles that have been replaced or repurchased by a
manufacturer where the consumer asserted that the car was a lemon. Any vehicle returned to the automaker for a problem that could cause death or serious injury may not be resold in the
state of Ohio.
