Lemon Law in Maine
Maine lemon law was created to protect consumers from faulty motor vehicles. When a motor vehicle is defective and the dealer cannot remedy the problem, the state of Maine as well as the federal government demands that the consumer receive compensation.
When consumers apply for free State Lemon Law Arbitration Hearings in the state of Maine they are given forty-five days before an acceptance is given. This kind of arbitration must be applied for within in the first two years of owning the motor vehicle and starts from the date when the motor vehicle was purchased. The vehicle is also required to still be under the manufacturer’s express warranty. Arbitration forms are required to include the make, model, mileage, year, purchasing date, and defect description.
Motor vehicles eligible for lemon laws must have defects that hinder the safety of the driver or passengers or alter the market value of the motor vehicle. Vehicles are also required to still be under the manufacturer’s express warranty or be within the two years of the original purchase.
Only certain vehicles are eligible for compensation through lemon law. These include automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, computers, and consumer appliances. Motor vehicles are the most common lemons.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible a motor vehicle must have prior repair attempts. These attempts are required to be between three and four attempts before the vehicle will be considered for lemon law. If under the manufacturer’s express warranty and out of use for a total of thirty days due to attempted repairs, the vehicle is eligible for manufacturer repair. These thirty days are not required to be consecutive and can be added up throughout the express warranty’s time period.
If a motor vehicle is reported after the manufacturer’s warranty has expired the manufacturer is not required to attempt a repair. On the other hand if the vehicle is reported prior to the express warranty’s expiration but the express warranty expires prior to an attempted repair, the manufacturer, dealer, or agent is required to attempt a repair still.
When the motor vehicle is presented to the manufacturer, dealer, or agent, they are required by law to attempt a repair on the vehicle. The repair is required to restore the motor vehicle to its manufacturer standard. If the agent, dealer, or manufacturer cannot restore the vehicle to this standard within thirty calendar days, compensation will be required.
Compensation
If the motor vehicle cannot be restored to its proper market value, then compensation will be organized accordingly. Compensation can be paid in either replacement or refund in the state of Maine. A replacement vehicle is required to be of the same market value as the lemon vehicle. When a motor vehicle is to be refunded, the consumer will receive payment for the full purchasing price as well as registration fees, government fees, taxes, licensing fee, and other required payments. Any cosmetic additions to the vehicle will not be refunded.
If a vehicle has been neglected or abused, the amount of damage may be subtracted from the compensated value.