Does Your Vehicle Meet the Standards of the South Carolina Lemon Law?

by | Sep 2, 2016 | Attorneys

The South Carolina lemon law was enacted to protect you from car purchases where you find that the vehicle is unsafe due to a defect, or that it has a defect that stops the car from operating properly or that greatly lowers its resale value. In a nutshell, it means that the manufacturer of your vehicle will be allowed to try to repair the vehicle over a certain amount of time by a certain amount of tries before they either have to replace your vehicle or give you a full refund of the purchase price.

The Conditions You Need to Meet

If you have purchased a new vehicle and during the first year or the first 12,000 miles that you have driven it, you have found a defect that has put it out of service for 30 days at a time or that has significantly lowered its market value, you most likely have a lemon. If the manufacturer of the vehicle has not been able to repair your vehicle in what is considered a reasonable amount of time, you probably have a lemon. You must keep in mind that South Carolina’s lemon law does allow the manufacturer three tries at repairs or 30 days at resolving the problem.

What Action is Available to You?

If the manufacturer of your vehicle cannot satisfactorily repair your vehicle in the amount of time allowed, they must either replace your car or refund part of your money. Your refund will be based both on the amount of time that you have used the vehicle and the amount of mileage you have put on the vehicle. They also have to refund all the taxes and fees that you paid when you purchase the car. Keep in mind the between the time you request repairs in the time you ask for a refund or replacement vehicle, you will be required to participate in mediation or arbitration if a manufacturer offers such a program. You do not have to attend such meetings alone. The attorneys at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® are skilled at such negotiations and are available to deal with these matters with you.