Hawaii Lemon Law

Hawaii Lemon Laws – Summary

Hawaii’s lemon laws state that if a buyer or lessee of a vehicle finds a major fault in it – which is labeled as irreparable after a certain number of 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 warranty period, 2 years from its delivery or 24,000 miles on its odometer, whichever comes first, and if the vehicle meets the eligibility criteria as specified by Hawaii’s state laws, the owner of the vehicle can claim their arbitrary aid and request an arbiter to look into the matter and provide them with the necessary reimbursement, in the form of a refund or replacement of the faulty vehicle. The repurchase costs will also cover any additional costs the owner underwent while purchasing the vehicle, but a fee for the faulty vehicle’s usage will be deducted. The procedure also requires an additional fee of $50.

Lemon Eligibility in Hawaii

Vehicles eligible to claim lemon aid in Hawaii need to be new and still active under the manufacturer’s express warranty period, and purchased or leased solely for family, household, personal and/or for the usage of businesses which have purchased or leased no more than 1 vehicle in a year, and registered in Hawaii itself. The law does not protect vehicles which weigh over 10,000 pounds GVWR, mopeds and motor scooters. 

The vehicle needs to have a serious nonconformity which severely impairs the vehicle’s usage, safety and market value. This nonconformity must not be the result of the owner’s neglect, abuse, attempts at modification or an accident, and should solely be caused by the manufacturers.

The Lemon Law rights period remains active until the manufacturer’s express warranty expires, or for 2 years from the initial delivery of the vehicle or 24,000 miles on the vehicle’s odometer, whichever of these occur first. The lemon law claim for a vehicle needs to be filed within or before a period of 1 year from the expiration of the Lemon Law Rights period.

Hawaii Lemon Law on Used Vehicles

Hawaii’s laws state that the law protects owners of ‘new’ vehicles. However, if the vehicle is still under the warranty period stated by the manufacturer, and has been transferred to someone else by the initial purchaser of the vehicle, it is still eligible to receive lemon law benefits.

Repair Attempts

If the vehicle has a nonconformity, the manufacturers need to be given either 1 repair attempt for life-threatening impairments, or 3 attempts for other impairments within the Lemon Law Rights period. If the manufacturers are unable to correct the nonconformity within the given number of repair attempts, or if the vehicle remains with the manufacturer for over 30 days for repair reasons, the owner should then issue a notice to the manufacturers regarding the nonconformity, and the manufacturers need to be provided an additional attempt to repair the vehicle within 10-14 days. If this repair attempt is unsuccessful as well, the manufacturer might offer to replace or repurchase the vehicle readily. However, if they do not do so, you may proceed for arbitration. The arbiter may inspect your car themself, as well as look over evidence and testimonies before passing their judgement. The judgement will be mailed to the customer within 45 days from the initial opening of your case.

Hawaii Lemon Law Compensation – Repurchase or Replacement

If the judgement is in your favour, you will either receive a refund or a replacement from the manufacturer. The refund will include the vehicle’s original purchasing price as well as any additional costs charged from the customer, and a fee will be deducted depending on the vehicle’s previous usage. In case of a replacement, the customer will be provided with a car that is comparable or identical to the initial vehicle, and they will have to pay the manufacturers with a reasonable fee for the car’s previous usage. The manufacturer needs to proceed with either of this within 30 days of the arbiter’s judgment being passed.

Other Hawaii Laws

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