The Illinois lemon law

Commonly known as the Illinois lemon law, the Illinois New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act, protects consumers who buy or lease new cars, pickup trucks, and vans in Illinois.

The Illinois lemon law has not stipulated any warranties of its own to give Illinois lemon law protection to its people. On the contrary the Illinois lemon law takes serious exception should the warranties provided by manufacturers and dealers breach. This way the Illinois lemon law offers consumers a remedy should a dealer or manufacturer fail to honor the written warranties.

Consumers buying a car must realize that it is important for them to be knowledgeable to avoid being taken out on a long ride by the dealership or for that matter, private sellers who keep trying to get rid of their lemons or used lemons. With every passing year more Illinois residents keep losing money due to car sellers’ scams. These frauds could be avoided if new car or used car consumers make informed buys. In case a car buyer had landed a lemon car or used lemon car, Illinois has lemon laws and other to protect them.

Illinois lemon laws for automobile buyer protection

A car is the second most expensive investment a consumer makes after his house. Despite the money consumers are willing to spend it would be galling to note that most of them care the least to know about the purchases they make. Today’s cars are more complex than they used to be. Modern cars offer more models and carry more technology that is computer based. If a consumer is not savvy enough he would be at the mercy of the sales man or the seller of the used car. The state of Illinois has enacted lemon laws to protect car buyers.

Vehicles covered under the Illinois lemon law:

• Purchased in Illinois
• Vans under 8,000 pounds
• New cars
• Pickup trucks
• Recreational vehicles
• New vehicles leased for at least four months
• New vehicles leased with a 40%-60% time rule for household/lease purpose

The Illinois lemon law eligibility

• Any written express warranty on the vehicle for one year or 12,000 miles driven, whichever comes first
• If the problem is reported within the warranty period, even if the warranty expires subsequently
• The dealer or manufacturer should fix the issue within a reasonable number of attempts
• The defect in the car has impaired its use and reduced its market value
• The defect in the car is likely to cause death or serious bodily harm
• The warranty repairs have put the vehicle out of service for 30 or more business days

If the defect is not fixed the buyer or the lessee must use the manufacturer’s arbitration program or go to court to seek a replacement vehicle or a full refund of the purchase or lease price.

The Illinois lemon law does not cover used cars or problems resulting from abuse, neglect, or unauthorized alterations to the car.

Illinois Used Car Warranty Law

Illinois used car warranty law covers the power train with its components on new or used vehicles.

If the defects are not due to the consumer abuse, negligence or collision, a retail automobile dealer in Illinois pays a portion of the cost of repairs on power train components for 30 days from the date of delivery

• If the cars are within two years of age, the dealer pays half of the cost of repairs
• If cars are between two years and three years the dealer pays a quarter of the cost of repairs
• If cars are between three and four years of age the dealer pays 10 percent of the cost of repairs
• If cars are older than four years they are not covered by Illinois used car warranty law

The Federal Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule

The Federal Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule requires a dealer to:

• Represent the condition of a used vehicle
• Represent the terms of any warranty offered
• Mark the vehicle ‘as is – no warranty’ if no warranty is offered
• Disclose the history of the vehicle before the buyer purchases it
• The Federal Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule applies only if
• The consumer buys from a used car dealer
• The used cars seller has a license from the state
• He sells more than five used cars a year