Lemon Law and Arbitration
11-04-2014, 11:31 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8
Lemon Law and Arbitration
Has anyone ever been through the lemon law process and/or arbitration hearings? I’ve started the process to lemon my 2013 Mustang GT. It has been in the shop a total of 40+ days and has had 9 separate issues. A lot of those issues have had repair attempts 3 or more times. I’m just totally fed up this car. I still have 3 outstanding issues as of today and my dealer is refusing to make me a service appointment for warranty work (WTF).
How long does this process take? Do they usually try to settle?
How long does this process take? Do they usually try to settle?
11-04-2014, 12:19 PM
#2
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
http://www.dmv.org/pa-pennsylvania/a.../lemon-law.php
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html
and
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html - This one gives you some items that the arbitrator will expect you to have completed.
Big questions, have you tried to contact the Ford regional rep to discuss your issues? If you haven't bothered. The arbitrator is going to ask you to come back after you have.
Are you within the first 12K or 12 months of ownership? If not, that gets dicey.
Has the car been out of service because the dealer has actually been working on it or because you refused to take it because you weren't happy? That counts against you. If you didn't drive it due to a safety concern like brakes didn't work or steering was wonky, that counts against the dealer.
Have you tried any other dealers?
Basic common sense stuff and the process is not short. I tried it with my 00 V6 when I bought it new in Cali and had paint issues shortly thereafter on the hood and front quarter panels (like the car had been repainted). About half way through the process (3 months in my case) I gave up after I found a dealer that was willing to work with me.
The actual length of the process can take shorter or longer. Depends on the issues and documentation you provide to back things up.
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html
and
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html - This one gives you some items that the arbitrator will expect you to have completed.
Big questions, have you tried to contact the Ford regional rep to discuss your issues? If you haven't bothered. The arbitrator is going to ask you to come back after you have.
Are you within the first 12K or 12 months of ownership? If not, that gets dicey.
Has the car been out of service because the dealer has actually been working on it or because you refused to take it because you weren't happy? That counts against you. If you didn't drive it due to a safety concern like brakes didn't work or steering was wonky, that counts against the dealer.
Have you tried any other dealers?
Basic common sense stuff and the process is not short. I tried it with my 00 V6 when I bought it new in Cali and had paint issues shortly thereafter on the hood and front quarter panels (like the car had been repainted). About half way through the process (3 months in my case) I gave up after I found a dealer that was willing to work with me.
The actual length of the process can take shorter or longer. Depends on the issues and documentation you provide to back things up.
Last edited by Derf00; 11-04-2014 at 12:28 PM.
11-04-2014, 01:39 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8
http://www.dmv.org/pa-pennsylvania/a.../lemon-law.php
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html
and
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html - This one gives you some items that the arbitrator will expect you to have completed.
Big questions, have you tried to contact the Ford regional rep to discuss your issues? If you haven't bothered. The arbitrator is going to ask you to come back after you have.
Are you within the first 12K or 12 months of ownership? If not, that gets dicey.
Has the car been out of service because the dealer has actually been working on it or because you refused to take it because you weren't happy? That counts against you. If you didn't drive it due to a safety concern like brakes didn't work or steering was wonky, that counts against the dealer.
Have you tried any other dealers?
Basic common sense stuff and the process is not short. I tried it with my 00 V6 when I bought it new in Cali and had paint issues shortly thereafter on the hood and front quarter panels (like the car had been repainted). About half way through the process (3 months in my case) I gave up after I found a dealer that was willing to work with me.
The actual length of the process can take shorter or longer. Depends on the issues and documentation you provide to back things up.
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html
and
http://www.carlemon.com/lemon/PA_law.html - This one gives you some items that the arbitrator will expect you to have completed.
Big questions, have you tried to contact the Ford regional rep to discuss your issues? If you haven't bothered. The arbitrator is going to ask you to come back after you have.
Are you within the first 12K or 12 months of ownership? If not, that gets dicey.
Has the car been out of service because the dealer has actually been working on it or because you refused to take it because you weren't happy? That counts against you. If you didn't drive it due to a safety concern like brakes didn't work or steering was wonky, that counts against the dealer.
Have you tried any other dealers?
Basic common sense stuff and the process is not short. I tried it with my 00 V6 when I bought it new in Cali and had paint issues shortly thereafter on the hood and front quarter panels (like the car had been repainted). About half way through the process (3 months in my case) I gave up after I found a dealer that was willing to work with me.
The actual length of the process can take shorter or longer. Depends on the issues and documentation you provide to back things up.
The issue I think that will qualify me under the lemon law is the water that get trapped in my rear quarter panel and just sloshes around in there. This first started within the 1 year/ 12,000 mile period and has subsquently had 3 repair attempts which haven't resolved the issue. Most of the time spent in the shop has been for repainting my hood. It had to be repainted twice due to the paint flaking off.
I have also tried another dealer without much success. I might start taking it there again because I can actually get an appointment with them.
I have an arbitration hearing in Feburary for the car but I'm curious if they will try to make a deal before then. My ideal outcome would be a full repurchase.
11-05-2014, 04:47 AM
#4
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Clinton, Tennessee
Posts: 761
My 2002 Explorer was Bought back and I went all the way through the procedure. Ford never offered to buy it back.
Mine was for 2 reasons, it had a paint issue with the seam sealer in 4 spots cracking and starting to rust through and with the Tri coat Pearl they could never get it to match (repainted 4 times) and the transfer case was cycling between 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive at wide open throttle which was in the shop 5 times for. This was actually bad enough to have the rear end go out twice in 32,000 miles from the violent jerking of the rear end.
Each state has different laws for Lemon Laws, Tennessee was anything that could be considered a hazard or affect resale or was in the shop for 30 days or more in the first year. Also you had to give the amount of attempts to repair and 1 more time after which I had met before I went in as well as 42 days in the shop in the first 8 months.
I went against the Service Manager from my local dealership and went to the Arbitration in person. The service manager did not give any of the mechanics views and only his own, this after telling me in person that he was a paper pusher and not a mechanic.
Good luck and just make sure you have all your paperwork with you, it helped out with mine just for the comments that were on them from the mechanic.
Mine was for 2 reasons, it had a paint issue with the seam sealer in 4 spots cracking and starting to rust through and with the Tri coat Pearl they could never get it to match (repainted 4 times) and the transfer case was cycling between 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive at wide open throttle which was in the shop 5 times for. This was actually bad enough to have the rear end go out twice in 32,000 miles from the violent jerking of the rear end.
Each state has different laws for Lemon Laws, Tennessee was anything that could be considered a hazard or affect resale or was in the shop for 30 days or more in the first year. Also you had to give the amount of attempts to repair and 1 more time after which I had met before I went in as well as 42 days in the shop in the first 8 months.
I went against the Service Manager from my local dealership and went to the Arbitration in person. The service manager did not give any of the mechanics views and only his own, this after telling me in person that he was a paper pusher and not a mechanic.
Good luck and just make sure you have all your paperwork with you, it helped out with mine just for the comments that were on them from the mechanic.
11-05-2014, 09:35 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8
My 2002 Explorer was Bought back and I went all the way through the procedure. Ford never offered to buy it back.
Mine was for 2 reasons, it had a paint issue with the seam sealer in 4 spots cracking and starting to rust through and with the Tri coat Pearl they could never get it to match (repainted 4 times) and the transfer case was cycling between 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive at wide open throttle which was in the shop 5 times for. This was actually bad enough to have the rear end go out twice in 32,000 miles from the violent jerking of the rear end.
Each state has different laws for Lemon Laws, Tennessee was anything that could be considered a hazard or affect resale or was in the shop for 30 days or more in the first year. Also you had to give the amount of attempts to repair and 1 more time after which I had met before I went in as well as 42 days in the shop in the first 8 months.
I went against the Service Manager from my local dealership and went to the Arbitration in person. The service manager did not give any of the mechanics views and only his own, this after telling me in person that he was a paper pusher and not a mechanic.
Good luck and just make sure you have all your paperwork with you, it helped out with mine just for the comments that were on them from the mechanic.
Mine was for 2 reasons, it had a paint issue with the seam sealer in 4 spots cracking and starting to rust through and with the Tri coat Pearl they could never get it to match (repainted 4 times) and the transfer case was cycling between 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive at wide open throttle which was in the shop 5 times for. This was actually bad enough to have the rear end go out twice in 32,000 miles from the violent jerking of the rear end.
Each state has different laws for Lemon Laws, Tennessee was anything that could be considered a hazard or affect resale or was in the shop for 30 days or more in the first year. Also you had to give the amount of attempts to repair and 1 more time after which I had met before I went in as well as 42 days in the shop in the first 8 months.
I went against the Service Manager from my local dealership and went to the Arbitration in person. The service manager did not give any of the mechanics views and only his own, this after telling me in person that he was a paper pusher and not a mechanic.
Good luck and just make sure you have all your paperwork with you, it helped out with mine just for the comments that were on them from the mechanic.
11-05-2014, 01:01 PM
#6
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
Lemon Law arbitration is not meant to be a cake walk. If it were, everyone would be trying to get it just because they weren't happy with something on their car. But, if it's valid and can be proven, the system works and is worth it.
11-05-2014, 05:31 PM
#7
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Clinton, Tennessee
Posts: 761
Like Derf said it is not meant to be easy, but believe it or not from what I have heard Ford with their Arbitration is one of the easiest to deal with.
11-06-2014, 06:27 AM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8
It was about 3 months from when I started the process to when I had the meeting with the Arbitrators. I went in without a lawyer, since I knew more than any lawyer would have known about the problems, fixes and what Ford could have done if the service manager was doing his job.
Like Derf said it is not meant to be easy, but believe it or not from what I have heard Ford with their Arbitration is one of the easiest to deal with.
Like Derf said it is not meant to be easy, but believe it or not from what I have heard Ford with their Arbitration is one of the easiest to deal with.
Last edited by waffle07; 11-07-2014 at 05:43 AM.
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