The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act – What is it?
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The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was passed in 1975 to protect the buyers of any product costing $25 or more and has a written warranty. The Act applies to any such product that turns out to be a lemon or doesn’t work as it should. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a federal law that administers and examines consumer product warranties.
The law preserves the rights of a lemon owner. If any product with a written warranty is found to be defective, the warrantor must either refund or replace the product.
Under Magnuson-Moss Warrant Act, the juries have designed a principle, “three strikes and you’re out.” Under this, a manufacturer will be given three attempts to fix a problem, and attempting again and again to repair that same problem will not be allowed. Like if your vehicle is giving you problems, you are entitled to improve. If a manufacturer or dealer fails to fix that problem in three attempts, you can claim a refund or replacement under the Magnuson-Moss Warrant Act.
Vehicles are considered a transportation medium, and people buy them to travel from place to place or transfer goods from one destination to another. But, if a vehicle starts throwing out problems within the warranty period, the buyer is entitled to file a claim for their lemon vehicle under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. This Federal Law gives buyers a chance to tackle manufacturers of lemon cars.
A buyer can easily claim their lemon in any court in the United States. Under the lemon law of some states, you can even claim your lemon attorney’s fees and other expenses you have had in the shape of time and money.
Lemon law cases earn bad publicity and enormous fines for manufacturers. To avoid such situations, manufacturers try not to deliver lemon products. And if this happens, they are forced to refund or replace the product under the Magnuson-Moss Warrant Act.
How does the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Affect Warranty?
Passed in 1975, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a law designed to help consumers take any unsettled warranties to the courts. However, this Act only protects written contracts and safeguards consumers against low-quality and defective products. As manufacturers or dealers are required to pay massive compensation, they try their best to maintain their quality to avoid facing the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
If a vehicle is not working as it should or was at the time of purchase, the buyer is entitled to claim their lemon under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The Act says that if any part of the product, which has a written warranty, is defective, the warrantor has to give the buyer a refund or replacement.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act – Buyer Lawsuits
Suppose a manufacturer cannot meet the standards set in the warranty. In that case, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act entitles the buyer to claim re-compensation by making a breach of contract a violation of federal law. The manufacturers must also pay the buyer the court costs and attorney’s fees. This means that if the manufacturer loses that case, he will have to pay the price of the lawsuit, the cost of the buyer’s lawyer, and a refund or replacement. The heavy expenses involved are a big turn-off for manufacturers who try to avoid such court proceedings.
Most state lemon laws give the manufacturers three chances to set the product right according to the buyer’s requirement. And in case the product is still malfunctioning, the buyer can claim a refund or replacement under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. However, some of the states have five attempt limits for the manufacturers.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act – Substitute to Consumer Lawsuits
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act also has a substitute for lawsuits. It has a purchaser lawsuit for warranty violation, which requires the manufacturer to use an informal dispute dissolution mechanism. This informal dispute-resolution mechanism is used to resolve warranty problems at a standstill.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act has forced manufacturers to maintain a standard and meet the promised warranty. It has positively affected the contracts, the middle of the products, and thus customers’ rights.