What Are Georgia State’s Lemon Laws?
Lemon laws have now been enacted in all but two states. The Georgia Lemon Law is found in Georgia Code Section 10-1-780. The Georgia Legislature significantly amended this law in 2008. In enacting this law, the Georgia Legislature found that a new motor vehicle is a major consumer purchase and that a defectively manufactured new motor vehicle, a lemon car, is likely to create hardship for, or may cause injury to, the consumer.
What To Know As A Consumer
In Georgia, the law defines lemon cars and requires that manufacturers (not dealers) remedy the defects. The law creates a lemon rights period of 24 months and 24,000 miles. The defects must occur sometime in this period.
The Georgia Lemon Law contains a three-pronged definition of when a manufacturer has had a sufficient number of attempts to repair, entitling the consumer to a refund or a replacement. The manufacturer, along with its agent or the dealer, is said to have performed reasonable attempts if:
- The safety defect was not corrected after the safety defect was subject to one repair.
- The nonconformity was not corrected after at least three repairs.
- After a period of 30 days, the car was out of service for repairs of at least one nonconformity.
The Georgia Lemon Law allows the manufacturer to charge the consumer a fee for his/her use of the new vehicle during a time when it was not defective. This fee is called the reasonable offset for use. To calculate, one multiplies the car’s purchase price by the miles attributed to the consumer by the date that the consumer returned the car for the repair of a nonconformity. Then, the product is divided by 120,000 and the final sum is reached.
Additional Georgia Lemon Law Resources:
Speak With A Georgia Attorney To Understand Your Rights
If you believe that you purchased a vehicle that is a lemon, you have the right to seek recourse. Michael Flinn has extensive experience helping people in your situation. Call [nap_phone id=”LOCAL-REGULAR-NUMBER-1″] or use the contact form for a free evaluation of your consumer case.