When a new car has either one serious problem or a several reoccurring problems that can't be fixed, it is commonly called a "lemon." In order to help out car buyers, state lemon laws offer certain protections for consumers who may otherwise be stuck with a problematic automobile. Laws against defective vehicles can be found in Vermont New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Act, which covers new automobile purchases for the term of the lease.
What Automobiles Are Covered Under the Lemon Laws?
Vermont's lemon laws applies to new motor vehicles only. There is no separate used car lemon law in Vermont for vehicles purchased with no remaining warranty coverage by the manufacturer. The following motor vehicles are not covered under the law:
What Must I Do To Qualify Under The Lemon Law?
You may request an arbitration hearing from the Vermont DMV if:
Contact the Vermont Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board and find out if you are eligible for a Lemon Law Arbitration hearing.
What Remedies Are Available?
If a consumer is successful in his or her lemon law claim, he or she has a right to choose to either receive a replacement vehicle of a similar make, model and option accessory package or return the vehicle to the manufacturer for a refund of the full purchase price.
Leased Vehicles
In the case of a leased vehicle, the manufacturer could be required to either replace the leased vehicle or refund all lease payments made minus a reasonable use allowance. The manufacturer is allowed to put the vehicle back on the market for sale, but must affix to a window a conspicuous notice that the vehicle was previously adjudicated as having a serious defect.
Does The Lemon Law Apply To Used Cars?
The law generally does not cover consumers who purchase a used vehicle , whether from a licensed dealer or in a private transaction.
The details of Vermont lemon laws are listed below. See find law's Lemon Law section to learn more.
| Code Section | Tit. 9 §4171, et seq. |
| Title of Act | New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Act |
| Definition of Defects | The lemon law covers any defect or condition covered by the warranty that substantially impairs the use, market value or safety of the motor vehicle to the consumer. This is referred to as a nonconformity. |
| Time Limit for Manufacturer Repair | A claim must be filed within one (1) year after expiration of the manufacturer's express warranty by time or mileage, whichever occurs first or one (1) year following the manufacturer’s last attempt at repair of the nonconformity that gives rise to the consumer’s request for repurchase or replacement. |
| Remedies | The consumer has a right to choose to either
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Note: State and federal consumer statutes provide important remedies to Vermont consumers, ranging from monetary damages to buy-backs of defective vehicles. Vermont consumer laws are constantly changing -- contact a Vermont lemon law attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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Vermont Lemon Laws: Related Resources
