Senate Approves Buono/Scutari Bill Expanding Lemon Law In NJ

TRENTON – The Senate Commerce Committee today approved legislation sponsored by Senators Barbara Buono and Nicholas Scutari that would better protect consumers under the State’s “Lemon Law” for new car purchases by expanding coverage from 18,000 miles to 24,000 miles.

“New Jersey’s Lemon Law is over 17 years old. Given that our driving habits have changed in that time, the law needs to be updated,” said Senator Buono, D-Middlesex. “Drivers commute much farther today and 18,000 miles no longer provides the coverage the average car buyer deserves.”

The Committee approved S-454, which would amend the “Lemon Law,” which protects purchasers of new automobiles or motorcycles. The bill would expand protection under the law from 18,000 miles to 24,000 miles but keep the maximum time of the protection at two years.

In addition, the bill would create a distinction in the “Lemon Law” between general defects and defects that are “likely to cause death or serious bodily injury.” For those defects that are likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, the manufacturer would have just one chance to fix the defect before the car would have to be replaced. For non-lethal defects, dealers would be held to the current standard which allows three attempts to fix the defect before replacing the vehicle.

“When safety is a concern, three repair attempts are two too many,” explained Senator Scutari. “There is a major difference between an inconvenient oversight like a malfunctioning radio and the possibility that your car won’t stop when you hit the brakes. Our drivers shouldn’t have to put themselves at risk two or three times before they get a car that provides the safe transportation we expect when buying a new car.”

The Senators’ bill also requires that dealers provide information regarding the State’s “Lemon Law” protection Owner’s Warranty Rights Notification booklet, to ensure that the information gets to the consumer.

The bill passed the Committee by a vote of 5-0 and now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

From politickernj.com - Jim Griffin

Farm Tractors May Get Lemon Law Protection

Rep. Kerry W. Gibson, R-Ogden, discovered a flaw in the state's lemon law the hard way. Shortly after his farm began using a new tractor, it caught on fire three times. But the motor vehicle lemon law did not apply.

The electrical wiring harness, an expensive part, had a flaw, he said. After several tries, with some help from the manufacturer, the dealer could not repair the tractor.

Gibson discovered that while manufacturers are required to repair flaws in new cars that they built, the state's lemon law has specific exemptions for a "farm tractor, road tractor or truck tractor," he told the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee. He could understand arguments about road and truck tractors, because they might have been driven many miles on the highways, raising questions about what caused the problem.

Unable to find a rationale for exempting farm tractors, Gibson has introduced a measure, HB249, "Vehicles Covered by New Motor Vehicle Warranties," that would strike the farm tractor exemption. On Tuesday, the committee unanimously backed the bill.

Need a Lemon Law Attorney in Utah?

Meyer Unveils Corporate Push Touting 'New' Day at the 'New' Automaker

When people look at American cars, they just assume they might break."

That was the response of Deborah Wahl Meyer, VP-CMO at Chrysler, when she was asked to cite consumers' greatest misperception about its vehicles.

It is the job of Ms. Meyer, the former VP-marketing of Toyota's luxury Lexus brand, to turn that notion around. Chrysler's auto recall rate is about the same as those of Detroit's other two car makers, she said.

Motor City will be watching closely next month as Chrysler breaks an ad campaign from BBDO for all its brands estimated at $25 million. Ms. Meyer showed the new commercial at the Detroit Adcraft lunch last Friday which is themed "the new day" at the "new Chrysler." The spots use third-party testimonials to tout Chrysler vehicles' interiors, quality, warranty and value. The idea is to show that the automaker has changed.

And indeed it has. Private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management bought a majority interest in Chrysler from Germany's Daimler last year and took the company private.

More than perception
This marks the third time since the late 1970s that the carmaker has advertised itself as "the new Chrysler," according to Todd Turner, president of consultant CarConcepts. "If it was only a perception problem, they could fix it with communications, and even so, that takes a lot of time and money."

Mr. Turner said auto recalls aren't a true barometer of quality since they apply only to safety-related problems. He recommended that Chrysler officials focus on all aspects of their products, including fit and finishes, ride dynamics and interiors -- citing the rattling and vibrating of the rear axle on an all-wheel-drive Dodge Caliber he recently rented.

It is clear Chrysler has a way to go in convincing consumers. Its three vehicle brands, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, all rank below the industry average and near the bottom among the 35 nameplates in consultant J.D. Power and Associates' 2007 Initial Quality Study. The study is based on responses from 97,000 buyers of '07 model cars and trucks 90 days after purchase.

Power's latest Vehicle Dependability Study, which surveyed more than 47,000 original owners of 3-year-old models, ranked the Chrysler nameplate just below the industry average, with Dodge and Jeep further down the list.

Newcomers
Chrysler's new models should help, since consumers tend to believe fresh products are improvements over older offerings, said Pete Hastings, senior VP and analyst at Morgan Keegan & Co.

Ms. Meyer said Chrysler's major launches this year include the all-new Dodge Journey crossover this quarter, the return this spring of the Dodge Challenger coupe muscle car after nearly 35 years and the redone Dodge Ram pickup this fall.

Chrysler will show the Challenger at the Chicago Auto Show next month. Ms. Meyer said the 9,000 preorders for the car, done via dealers, exceeded expectations.

She said the biggest difference between Chrysler and her former employers Toyota and Ford is how quickly the automaker can make decisions. A verdict on a new campaign or strategy can come within three days instead of three to six months. The coming ad campaign took less than two months to put together, Ms. Meyer added. "The pace of change is exciting."

Ad Age - Jean Halliday

Top 10 Most Serious Automobile Defects of 2007

According to ConsumerAffairs.com the following complaints were the "top 10" automobile defects of 2007 that led to accidents.

1. Air Bag Failutre
2."Flaming" Fords
3. Spit out Ford spark plugs
4. NHTSA ignore Ford spark plug peril
5. GM truck brakes failure
6. Toyota Prius unintended acceleration issue
7. "Jumpin" Jeeps
8. BMW Transmission failures
9. Ford Focus ignition failures
10. Abandoned GM Onstar Customers

For more i nformation on specific issues and recalls for your vehicle.

From Consumer Affairs Website.

Volvo Recalls 125,000 Trucks In North America

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — Swedish lorry-maker Volvo said Thursday it had recalled 125,000 trucks in North America due to the danger of short circuits in the lighting system that could cause fires.

"All the trucks produced in North America since 2003 to this day" are being recalled, Volvo spokesman Tommy Kohle told AFP, adding that the call-back was due to an electrical module that controls the trucks' lighting system.

"We have discovered that it becomes too warm and that there can be a short-circuit that potentially could create smoke or in the worst case a fire," Kohle said, adding it remained unclear how the problem would be fixed.

"I do not know yet if the system will need to be replaced or if there will be some kind of alteration, but it is a fairly quick job to do and it has to be done," he said.

Volvo, the world's number two heavy duty truck manufacturer, has seen its sales in North America plummet since the beginning of the year, amid strong growth in other markets, especially Asia.

The Swedish company, which sells products under the brands of Volvo, Renault and Mack, said its decline on the American market had been caused by the introduction of new environmental standards on January 1, 2007.