Bought a Lemon Car? What You Need to Do Next

The Illinois lemon law is known as the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act. Attorney Robert Tomei is a Gurnee IL consumer rights attorney at the Tomei Law Firm. In order for your vehicle to be covered under Illinois lemon laws, the following conditions must be met: 

• The vehicle must have been purchased in Illinois.
• It must have an issue that substantially impairs its use, market value or safety, or have been out of service for 30 business days or more.
• The issue was not repaired by the dealership or manufacturer after a minimum of four attempts.
• Repairs must have been attempted within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles of leasing or owning the vehicle, whichever comes first.

Bringing any Illinois lemon law claim, or lawsuit is a complex endeavor. You are going to need an experienced and effective Illinois lemon law attorney on your side of the case. The vehicle’s manufacturer and dealer might point their fingers at each other, or they might try offering a settlement that is far below the actual value of your claim. You might end up having to go through arbitration or an actual trial. You will want an Illinois lemon law attorney who is fully prepared to exercise any alternative. 

Remember that you only have 12 months or 12,000 miles to act. That is a very short time frame. It is important to keep in mind that if you purchased a car that is a lemon, you have more recourse available to you than the simple Illinois Lemon statute, which does not permit you to recover attorney’s fees. You may submit claims under the Federal Magnusson Moss Warranty Act. You may also be the victim of an unfair or deceptive business practice, in which case you can pursue your claim under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act. Both of these statues provide for a longer period of time that you might be able to bring your claims. The statute of limitations unde the Mag-Moss Act is generally 4 years, while the statute of limitations under the Illinois Consumer Fraud act is 3 years from the date of the harm. Both of these statutes also allow you to recover attorney’s fees, whereas the IL lemon law, does not.

If you bought or leased a lemon, you must begin taking appropriate action right away. Contact the Gurnee IL consumer rights attorney at the Tomei Law P.C. as soon as possible to talk about setting up your Illinois lemon law claim or lawsuit. Robert will listen to you carefully and answer your questions. After that, he will advise you on all of your lemon law options. Take advantage of a consultation and case review by calling 847-596-7494 or by using our easy contact form.