Pennsylvania Lemon Laws
Free Lemon Law Tips by Doug Smith

The Pennsylvania Lemon Law was enacted to protect consumers from having to be burdened with a defective car, especially manufacturing defects. The Pennsylvania Lemon Law applies to new vehicles purchased and registered in Pennsylvania.

The car must also be for personal or family use and have a seating capacity of 15 people or less. Motorhomes, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles are not protected by Pennsylvania Lemon Laws.



The Pennsylvania Lemon Law requires the manufacturer to correct or repair a defect that severely decreases the value, use, or safety of the vehicle. They must do so at no additional cost to the owner.

The defect must have occurred within the first year or 12,000 miles of the original date of purchase, or the length of the original manufacturer's warranty, whichever is first.

If the defect is not fixed after 3 repair attempts, the Pennsylvania Lemon Law indicates that you might be entitled to a replacement automobile of similar value. Alternatively, you may be eligible for a refund of the purchase price.

The refund amount will be decreased slightly by an allowance for your vehicle usage. The Pennsylvania Lemon Law further applies when your vehicle has been in the repair shop for 30 days.

To invoke the Pennsylvania Lemon Law, call the manufacturer's zone representative. You can find this information in your owner's manual. If the representative is unsuccessful in getting the malfunction repaired, you can opt for arbitration.



Under Pennsylvania Lemon Law, the arbitrator's decision is binding on the manufacturer. However, the consumer may choose to file suit even after the arbitrator has ruled.

In some cases, the manufacturer might not have an established procedure for dispute resolution. If this is the case, you may file suit under the Pennsylvania Lemon Law without having to go through arbitration first.

The Pennsylvania Lemon Law states that you, the owner, are responsible for bringing your car to an authorized repair outlet, unless it is unreasonably difficult to do so. If such is the case, the Pennsylvania Lemon Law allows you to give the manufacturer written notice.

You can arrange to have the car transported to the repair center at no additional expense to you.

The repair center is required to give you an itemized statement detailing what repairs were made, and costs for parts and labor.

If the car is defective because of the owner's neglect, alteration, or abuse, Pennsylvania Lemon Law does not apply.

To protect consumers even further, vehicles returned as a result of the Pennsylvania Lemon Law cannot be sold again in the state. The vehicle can be resold in-state if certain criteria are met.

This article is ©2006 by Doug Smith. Bought a lemon car? Browse many free and informative articles and tips on car lemon laws, including definition of a lemon car, lemon law attorneys, lemon law arbitration, state lemon laws and more. Visit http://LemonLaws.FindCarsForHire.com. This article may be freely reprinted as long as this copyright notice remains intact, the article is unchanged, and all hyperlinks remain active and clickable.