Issues
For Car Buyers Who Got a Lemon, State Laws Vary Widely
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have “something that is arguably a lemon law,” but too many fail consumers, said Jason Levine, the executive director of the center, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded by Ralph Nader. In the worst states, Mr. Levine said, there might as well be no lemon law on…
U.S. will not seek to require event data recorders in cars, trucks
The head of consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety questioned the regulator’s move. In an email, director Jason Levine said the decision to withdraw the proposal “seems especially problematic as the need for uniform crash data elements to assist crash investigators only increases with every iteration of advanced safety technology.” WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The…
New Jersey, Washington protect consumers with best new car lemon laws
The Center For Auto Safety found that New Jersey and Washington state do a better job protecting consumers with defective cars than other states. New Jersey ranked first and Washington came in a close second place in the findings published last week. The study looked at numerous pieces of every state’s so-called “lemon laws,” which are put…
As mysterious BMW fires continue, calls for investigation into possible causes grow
According to Jason Levine, the executive director at the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, NHTSA is failing in its obligation to protect consumers. “These BMWs have [had] these fire problems for a very long time,” Levine told ABC News. “They’ve taken a very long time to respond to them. And it doesn’t seem that they’re…
More spontaneous fires reported in some Kia, Hyundai vehicles
“It is certainly more than 280. Sometimes we’ll see that’s a number that should be 2 or 3 times that number. Sometimes it can be 10 or 50 times that number. It really varies,” explains Jason Levine, executive director for the Center for Auto Safety. “Our concern is good for Hyundai and Kia for doing…
Safety groups urge caution as another possibly unconscious driver in moving Tesla is caught on camera
“It is not terribly surprising to see reports of people falling asleep while using the ‘Autopilot’ feature when Elon Musk continues to tell people that the car has self-driving capabilities,” Jason Levine, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety told Fox News Autos after seeing the recent videos. “Until Tesla stops over-hyping the actual capabilities of…
Federal shutdown put drivers at risk, safety groups say
NHTSA launched an investigation of the Kia and Hyundai complaints in August, but was unable to compel the South Korean automakers to broaden the scope of their recall because the transportation department was shut down, said Jason Levine, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety. “There was no one at NHTSA to say ‘What…
Deductions and Additions
Bad Provision Deduction Deduct 10 points if consumers lose rights under other laws by using lemon law. Deduct 10 points if consumers must sue by end of presumption period; 5 points if within 3 months of end of presumption period or within 18 months of initial purchase date. Deduct 10 points if consumers…
Damages
Damages When consumers buy or lease lemons, they should get back everything they paid with no offset for use because owning a lemon is often a nightmare. Consumers take time off from work, miss vacations, get stranded, worry about their safety – i.e., when and where the vehicle will next break down, and even have…
Attorney Fees
Attorney Fees If a consumer must retain an attorney to go to court or through a state arbitration proceeding with a manufacturer, the lemon law should provide for the award of attorney fees to make the consumer. Otherwise, the cost of the attorney will make it economically impractical for the consumer to exercise their lemon…