For nearly 80 years Consumer Reports has provided consumers with valuable information about the quality and reliability of everyday consumer products. As they do annually, on October 20 Consumer Reports issued their list of the 20 most unreliable vehicles on the road. http://www.consumerreports.org/cars/20-least-reliable-new-cars. This report was comprised after Consumer Reports analyzed data on more than 740,000 vehicles from its 2015 reliability survey. The vehicles studied ranged in age from 3 months to 3 years old and all vehicles were substantially similar to the manufacturer’s latest model for each respective vehicle. The results might surprise you as several luxury vehicles from typically reliable automobile manufacturers made appearances on the list. Specifically, the 20 most unreliable vehicles per Consumer Reports were identified as follows:
- Fiat 500L
- Ford Fiesta
- Cadillac Escalade
- Jeep Cherokee
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL
- Dodge Ram
- Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon
- Nissan Pathfinder
- Cadillac ATS
- Ford Focus
- Infiniti QX60
- Mercedes-Benz GL Class
- Dodge Challenger
- Chrysler 300
- GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe
- Acura TLX
- Hyundai Genesis Coupe
- Lincoln MKZ
- Mercedes-Benz C Class
If you own one of the above vehicles or any other vehicle that has exhibited multiple or severe defects and nonconformities, you may have a “lemon.” Per the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, car manufacturers must comply with their obligation to repair as provided in every automobile manufacturer’s warranty. If you have provided the manufacturer, through its authorized dealer, with a reasonable opportunity to repair your vehicle and the defects remain, federal law provides that you may bring suit for monetary damages and equitable relief. Additionally, you may also seek the payment of your attorneys’ fees and costs should you prevail on your claim. What’s more, most state lemon laws provide if the vehicle cannot be repaired after 3 to 4 times or the vehicle has been out of service for 30 days or more, that you may qualify for a refund or replacement vehicle.
To best protect your rights, report any defects or nonconformities in your vehicle to the manufacturer’s authorized dealer as soon as possible. Further, maintain copies of all repair records given to you by the dealer and if the dealer does not give you a receipt, insist that one be generated. Since the number of repair attempts is crucial to determining if you qualify for relief, do not let the dealer attempt to skirt its obligations to generate a paper trail for each visit. Virtually every manufacturer has strict guidelines that the dealer must follow when a consumer tenders their vehicle for repair, including thoroughly documenting the repair visit. Accordingly, even if the dealer does not find a problem with your vehicle, you are still entitled to a repair receipt that documents your visit. Once you have provided the manufacturer’s dealers with a reasonable opportunity to repair your vehicle and the problems remain, you should consult an experienced lemon law attorney who can tell you if are entitled to relief under the law.
The experienced attorneys at Krohn and Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center ® have successfully represented over 35,000 consumers since 1995 who have purchased defective vehicles. We offer a FREE CASE REVIEW for you to assess whether we can assist you with your lemon car, truck, SUV, or other vehicle and a free and quick Lemon Law case evaluator. Please do not hesitate to contact us toll free at 1-800-875-3666 or visit our website at https://www.yourlemonlawrights.com.
