It’s been two months since Hurricane Sandy hammered the mid-Atlantic region with powerful winds and storm surges that caused flooding in the communities of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Continue reading
Tag Archives: lemon laws
No Lemon Law Protection For Flood Vehicles
It has been about a month since Hurricane Sandy devastated the eastern shores of the United States killing hundreds of people and leaving a path of destruction believed to cost billions. It is estimated that high waters and heavy rains resulted in approximately 250,00 flooded vehicles. Continue reading
New China Lemon Laws Affects Foreign Car Importers
On January 01, 2013, the Chinese government will be implementing new automotive recall laws to increase consumer protections against lemon automobiles. The laws are likely to created disputes within the market as new regulations increase the accountability of manufacturers when it comes to quality control and documentation. Continue reading
Nissan Leaf Lemon Law Buyback
Two recent lemon law buybacks of Nissan Leaf vehicles in Arizona have Leaf owners in California questioning whether their vehicles can be repaired, replaced, or bought back under the California lemon law.
Approximately 400 Nissan leaf owners in Arizona are claiming that after only a year of driving in warmer than normal temperatures have contributed to a significant loss of driving range in their electric vehicles (EV). One owner said that after only 15 months, his vehicle lost almost 30% of battery capacity giving him a maximum of only 42 miles on a single charge.
In a statement released by David Reuter, Nissan’s vice president of corporate communications, the problems are limited to “a small handful” of Leaf owners, and the vehicles in question were impacted by extreme heat, high speeds, high mileage, and charging method and frequency. He added that there is no defect in the Leaf, but in the interest of customer satisfaction, Nissan bought the cars back. According to Reuter, there have been over 38,000 Leafs sold around the world and the majority customers are very satisfied owners.
California Lemon Law For The Military
If you live in California, are in the military serving our country and think that you may have a lemon vehicle, there is a California lemon law bill which took effect January 1, 2008 that you should know about. California has been a leader in protecting consumers who bought lemon vehicles, but before 2008 the law stated that if you were to pursue a lemon law case, one of the stipulations was that the vehicle must have been bought in California. The new bill (SB234), sponsored by state Senator Ellen Corbett, extends the protection to all active duty military personnel stationed in California as long as the vehicle was purchased in the United States.
The law was inspired by the lemon problems of Lt. Nathan Kindig, serving in the United States Navy as a physician assistant. He was looking for a safe and reliable vehicle for his family to drive while he was stationed overseas in Iraq. Shortly after buying a 2004 Dodge Dakota, the vehicle started having problems with the engine overheating. After many repair attempts, the dealership labeled the vehicle as unrepairable, clearly making it a lemon. Because the vehicle was not purchased in California, Kindig could not pursue a buyback under the California lemon law. After hiring a lawyer and continuing to pay for a vehicle that could not be driven, the dealership agreed to repurchase the lemon on terms that would cost Kindig thousands of dollars, as Chrysler refused to use the traditional lemon law offset formula and demanded a specific offset amount.
California was the first state in the nation to specifically protect active duty military troops whose vehicles are “lemons”, regardless where their vehicles are purchased or registered. The bill attracted widespread bi-partisan support, and was passed unanimously in both houses of the California Assembly before the Governor signed it into law. Today, many states have adapted their lemon law statutes to include protection to help military members who have purchased defective vehicles which turn out to be lemons.
Ford Invests In Hybrid And Electric Technology
Ford is working hard to become the leader in hybrid and electric vehicles (EV) as they invest over $130 million to build an advanced electrification center in Dearborn, Michigan. The facility will employ approximately 1,000 engineers and will accelerate the companies EV development capabilities. The company hopes to top the market by launching five new electric or hybrid vehicles this year alone. Ford has just recently started developing their own transmission technology which will be built on the same platform as their mainstream gasoline engines. This has allowed them to cut the costs by 30% and will also allow the company to build vehicles according to consumer demand. Amy Machesney, the C-Max marketing manager said Ford feels it now has a product capable of competing with Toyota, and we are confident our EV and hybrid vehicles are comparable to the Prius.
A123 Systems Sale Raises Security Concerns
The potential sale of U.S. automotive battery maker A123 Systems to China’s largest auto components company, Wanxiang Group Corp., is raising security concerns among U.S. lawmakers. The $450 million deal would see Wanxiang taking control of 80% of A123 Systems which supplies lithium-ion batteries to luxury car makers like Fisker Automotive. A123 received funds from the Energy Department in 2009 which was used for battery research advancements and job creation programs for batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.
Opposition to the sale reports growing concern about foreign controlled or owned companies gaining a niche in the United States supply chain. According to U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, “We need to make sure the Federal government isn’t giving away our own national secrets by providing Chinese automobile manufacturing companies with million dollar government grants and loans.” Under the terms of the grant, the company agreed to use funding to support U.S. manufacturing facilities. Changes to the agreement of the grant would first have to be approved by the Department of Energy (DOE) who does not approve grant money being used for anything other than investment in the manufacturing and job creation here in the United States.
Chrysler Deals With Jeep Death Wobble
Chrysler has released a technical service bulletin (TSB) alerting Jeep dealers, owners, and employees of Jeep Death Wobble, and have issued procedures on how to repair and prevent the problem. Death Wobble has been a problem in certain 2005-2010 Jeep Wranglers since November 2010 after hundreds of drivers complained of experiencing shimmy symptoms at speeds above 45 mph, after hitting a pothole. The highest number of complaints came from owners of 2007 models.
The bulletin advises that the steering system be inspected regularly for damaged, especially if the system has not been maintained. Chrysler warns owner that the installation of aftermarket steering and suspension components or wheel and tire assembles incompatible with Jeeps is the biggest cause of steering system vibration. There has been no reported deaths related to the problem, but owners experiencing the wobble have been justified in being frightened for their safety and the safety of others on the road.
