Arizona Lemon Laws Summary
Arizona’s lemon laws state that if the buyer of a vehicle finds a major fault in it – which the manufacturers are unable to fix even after four valid attempts by the vehicle manufacturer to repair it – the manufacturer is liable to repurchase or replace the faulty vehicle. This law applies to the vehicle throughout its express warranty period, and if the vehicle is still under its warranty period and meets the eligibility criteria as specified by Arizona’s state laws, the owner of the vehicle can claim their lemon aid and demand the manufacturers to provide them with the necessary reimbursement, in the form of a refund or replacement of the faulty vehicle, with the help of an informal dispute settlement through arbitration or any other informal resolutions, or by taking the matter to the civil court. The repurchase costs will also cover any additional costs the owner underwent while purchasing the vehicle, but may not include a certain portion of the initial payment of the vehicle on account of the number of days the vehicle has been used by the owner, if any.
Arizona Lemon Law Eligibility
Arizona’s lemon laws protect all new vehicles which seem to have any faults in them and do not conform to the vehicle’s express warranties declared during its purchase. The law covers all new vehicles, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and vans which weigh under 10,000 pounds and are active under the manufacturers express warranty, or are not older than 2 years, or display 24,000 miles or less on their odometer.
What is a Lemon Under Arizona’s Lemon Law
A set definition of which cars can be considered defective, i.e. ‘lemons’, and thus entitle the owners to receive a refund or replacement of the faulty vehicle, has been provided by the Arizona government. A faulty vehicle must have a defect caused by the manufacturer which significantly decreases the vehicle’s value, safety and usability throughout the period in which the vehicle’s express warranty remains valid. These defects must not have been caused by the owner in any way, such as an attempt to install a new part by the owner themselves, without any involvement of the manufacturer.
Arizona Lemon Law Repairs
Before further action, the manufacturer needs to have been provided at least four chances to have repaired the vehicle, which need to have been unsuccessful in order for the vehicle to get replaced, or the owner to receive a refund. If the vehicle has been sent to the dealer for the previous four repair attempts, the manufacturer should also be informed about the defect and have at least one attempt to repair the vehicle themselves.
Arizona Lemon Law Next Steps
If all repair attempts remain unsuccessful, or if the vehicle remains out of order due to the defect for over 30 days, the owner is then allowed to proceed towards an informal settlement of the matter and claiming either a refund or replacement, which is usually through arbitration, if the dealer is associated with a certified arbitration program.
If your vehicle meets the requirements stated before and you wish to claim your lemon aid, you need to write a demand letter to the manufacturer, following which they may have an additional repair attempt. If that fails as well, the manufacturers will then have to proceed with arbitration if they are affiliated with a certain program. Otherwise, the case then proceeds to civil courts.
One thing to be noted is that the customer shall not pay the attorney’s fees, as the law instructs manufacturers to pay for the customer’s attorney as well.
The Lemon Aid
Under Arizona’s lemon laws, if the claim of a faulty vehicle owner has been accepted, they are entitled to receive either a replacement of the faulty vehicle, or full repayment of the purchasing amount which has been paid by the owner during the purchase of the faulty vehicle. The refunded amount should also include any additional fees paid by the owner, such as towing etc., which have been initiated by the manufacturer. This amount is subjected to reduction, depending on how many days you have actively used the vehicle prior to it’s defect.
Does the Arizona Lemon Law Cover Used Vehicles?
The Arizona Lemon Law covers used vehicles, but only up until 2 years, or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first). Arizona’s lemon laws protect all new vehicles which seem to have any faults in them and do not conform to the vehicle’s express warranties declared during its purchase. The law covers all new vehicles, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and vans which weigh under 10,000 pounds and are active under the manufacturers express warranty, or are not older than 2 years, or display 24,000 miles or less on their odometer.