Florida Lemon Law

Commonly known as Florida’s automobile "Lemon Law," the Motor Vehicle Sales Warranties Act established arbitration boards throughout the State to hear and settle complaints between car manufacturers and owners. Florida's Lemon Law applies to new or demonstrator vehicles sold or long-term leased in the state of Florida. When consumers buy or lease a new or demonstrator motor vehicle, they must receive from the selling dealer or lessor the "Consumer Guide to the Florida Lemon Law." To qualify under the Florida Lemon Law or the federal Lemon Law, you must generally have a product that suffered multiple repair attempts under the manufacturer’s factory warranty. These vehicles are commonly referred to as "The Lemons". There are both Florida state and federal lemon laws that protect the interests of consumers. The rights afforded to consumers by lemon laws may exceed any warranties expressed in purchase contracts. The Florida Lemon Law does not cover used cars, vehicles that run only on tracks, off-road vehicles, trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, motorcycles, mopeds or the living facilities of recreational vehicles.
"Consumer Guide to the Florida Lemon Law" explains consumer rights, gives steps to follow to resolve problems, and contains a toll-free number for the Lemon Law Hotline and a form the consumer can use to notify the manufacturer of constant defects and time out of service for repair. Your lemon law period ends two years after the date of original delivery of the motor vehicle, you then have 60 days to file your State Arbitration Request with the department or, if your manufacturer participates, the State Certified Program.  There is no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of the consumer protection laws in Florida. Under the informal dispute settlement program a decision must be made within 40 days of filing your claim, otherwise you may withdraw from the program and file with the state. The Lemon Law program has proven to be an effective means of recourse for Florida residents. Since the program's inception in 1988, Floridians have received hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds and replacement vehicles through the State Lemon Law Arbitration Program.
The Lemon Law covers defects or conditions that substantially impair the use, value or safety of the new or demonstrator vehicle (these are called "nonconformities"). These defects must be first reported to the manufacturer or it authorized service agent (usually, this is the dealer) during the "Lemon Law Rights Period," which is the first 24 months after the date of delivery of the motor vehicle to the consumer. If the manufacturer fails to conform the vehicle to the warranty after a reasonable number of attempts to repair these defects, the law requires the manufacturer to buy back the defective vehicle and give the consumer a purchase price refund or a replacement vehicle. The law does not cover defects that result from accident, neglect, abuse, modification or alteration by persons other than the manufacturer or its authorized service agent. Do not delay in reporting a problem as this may cost valuable time and protection.