When you are shopping for a used car, it might be your worst fear that you buy a vehicle and it breaks down a week later. This is not an unreasonable fear. When you see a deal that seems too good to be true, it very well may be.
In Pennsylvania, however, the Automobile Lemon Law protects buyers from dealerships that would gladly sell a halfway-working car. There are a few important things that every car shopper should know about these provisions.
There are limits on sellers’ liability
While the lemon law provides excellent protection to buyers who end up stuck with a subpar car, there are limits on the liability of the seller. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, if any of the defects resulted from your alteration, abuse or neglect of the car, the law’s affordances do not apply. The seller is furthermore only liable for defects within a year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.
You may receive a replacement car
If your car’s manufacturer or seller is, in fact, responsible for its defects, they must facilitate repairs. When this cannot be accomplished in a timely manner, you may be able to receive a replacement car. Alternatively, the seller may simply refund the price paid. A reasonable deduction for miles driven may be applicable.
The buyer cannot be charged for repairs
Perhaps the most important stipulation of the lemon law is its mandate that sellers are entirely responsible for repairing vehicles that are sold with defects. Upon completing any necessary repairs, an itemized list of all costs — labor, parts and repairs — must be provided, but the driver should pay no part of the cost.
If you recently bought a lemon or otherwise found yourself a victim of misrepresentation, you should know that you have legal rights in Pennsylvania. Your seller may be legally liable for selling you a defective vehicle.