Many people don’t realize that when they roll their eyes because that problem with their transmission happens yet again, the clock was already ticking on their rights. Even though the dealership promised it would never happen again or the ads bragged its reliability would last for years to come, there’s only a limited amount of time an owner has to pursue a lemon claim for their car. The sad truth is, even as you read this piece, you have lost time available for making a claim due to that third (or more) transmission repair, repeat electrical shorts, or emissions issue. That makes it a challenge for every owner of a vehicle with repeat repairs because the dealership or manufacturer can wait you out with promises and fixes until your time runs out.
There are a variety of ways in which your time can run out when experiencing repeat issues with your CVT transmission. Some of the more common issues include:
- State laws limiting the time you have to file a claim. Unfortunately, this time limit varies based on the facts and state-to-state, so we can’t provide a quick answer on that for you; if you’re worried if you are running out of time, click here.
- Class actions limit the amount of time, as well as the form and rules for making a direct claim, under which you can pursue damages for a known transmission defect with your vehicle;
- You are in the midst of an opt out period, where you must send a letter meeting specific requirements to the case administrator before a certain date; OR
- Frustrated, you accept the class action settlement from the manufacturer that may pay for your next repair, but prevents you from ever pursuing a case against them.
If you are experiencing issues with your transmission and want to better understand your state’s lemon law limits, it is critical you speak with an attorney as soon as possible. This can be especially true for residents of California, who have state consumer rights stronger than anywhere else in the country and a missed claim can be a potential six-figure mistake.
Holding a manufacturer accountable for repeat repairs issues with your vehicle isn’t petty or being unwilling to ‘deal with it.’ Each state’s law protects consumers from buying things, like cars, with repair or production issues. While you may be hoping the situation will simply go away or that it will take care of itself, or even if you think the dealer will ‘take care of you’ the next time it happens, the internet is rampant with examples of people who mistakenly thought this way, too. Help, especially from auto manufacturers and dealers, can quickly dry up when it’s seen a liability that will cost them money.
Explore your legal options for a lemon law case before it is too late! The reasons above provide just some of the ways in which well-meaning owners can simply miss a deadline they didn’t know about and suffer horrible consequences. If you have had repeat repair issues with your car or truck, and they ‘just can’t seem to make it right,’ time is not on your side to explore your rights. For those who purchased their vehicle in California, the potential loss is even more extreme. Owners nationwide, though, need to be proactive in protecting their rights. Losing the opportunity to have the courts decide what you deserve is not something you want to experience – contact our offices today by giving us a call at (844) 808-7529!
