The purchase of a new vehicle can be an exciting event, especially if a consumer has made satisfying purchases from the same auto manufacturer in the past. Trading in an older, faithful vehicle for an upgraded model is often a leap of faith, but many California vehicle owners do so to avoid the cost and bother of repairs that often begin to arise as cars or trucks age. One man in another state made such a trade and regretted his decision within 10 days of his purchase. Subsequently, he had to invoke his state's lemon law.
Although the man was driving an older vehicle, it had given him no serious issues to that point. Nevertheless, he traded it in for a new Ford F-450 pickup because of the vehicle's towing capacity. Just over a week later, he discovered the interior of his new truck was saturated, so he took the truck back to the dealership. Mechanics there located a service bulletin from the Ford company indicating that trucks of this make and model have a tendency to experience water leaks because of defective sealing around a lamp gasket.
After the mechanics made the recommended repairs, the owner could still hear water sloshing in his truck when he hit the brakes. He took the truck back for further repairs to stop the leaks. Two weeks later, after a driving rain, the man opened the door of his truck, and water poured out. A third round of repairs failed to remedy the problem, and the man was already noticing signs of rust when he finally sought legal assistance.
Under California's lemon law, a vehicle that is still under warranty may qualify for a cash settlement from the manufacturer or a full replacement of the vehicle. Many manufacturers may be less than willing to abide by this law, leaving consumers to fight for their rights while they must continue to make car payments. With the assistance of a skilled attorney experienced in the legal issues related to defective vehicles, consumers have a significantly improved chance of achieving their goals.
Source: abc6onyourside.com, "Man says his new truck is a lemon, takes on Ford Motor Company", Tara Morgan, Feb. 28, 2018
