North Carolina Lemon Law

The North Carolina Lemon Law protects consumers who purchase or lease a defective car, truck or motorcycle. Specifically, the North Carolina Lemon Law statute applies to any new vehicle that was purchased or leased in the state and meets the following criteria:

• It is used primarily for personal, family or household purposes. The law does not apply to commercial vehicles nor those used primarily for business purposes.
• It weighs less than 10,000 pounds.
• It has at least one defect or nonconformity that substantially impairs the value of the vehicle.

Automobile manufacturers are required to repair the defects in a consumer's vehicle within a reasonable number of attempts. Under North Carolina's Lemon Laws, a "reasonable number of attempts" means one (or both) of the following:

• The vehicle is taken to an authorized dealer four times for the same defect that first presented itself within the first two years or 24,000 miles after the vehicle was purchased; OR
• The vehicle is out of service due to its repairs for twenty business days within the coverage period of the manufacturer's warranty.

Our attorneys have handled hundreds of cases for North Carolina consumers that have purchased or leased lemon vehicles. If you are unsure about whether your vehicle is a lemon, our North Carolina Lemon Law attorneys can help you and answer any questions that you have.

If you have a lemon vehicle in North Carolina, you are entitled to have the manufacturer repurchase your vehicle or replace it with a brand new one. As an alternative, there is also the possibility of a "cash-and-keep" settlement, wherein you would receive money damages based on the diminished value of your vehicle as a result of its defects and repairs.

Holly is a North Carolina consumer who came to us because she was experiencing problems with the electrical system and suspension in her brand new Volkswagen Jetta. Holly took her Jetta to an authorized Volkswagen dealer on more than three separate occasions, but the nonconformities were not properly repaired. Holly was in need of a North Carolina attorney that focuses on Lemon Law case, and ultimately agreed to retain our law firm to represent her. Throughout the process, we attempted to settle Holly's case directly with Volkswagen, but initially it was unwilling to amicably resolve her case. From there, we submitted Holly's case to the Better Business Bureau's Autoline arbitration program. The arbitrator ultimately agreed that Holly's car was a Lemon vehicle and required Volkswagen to repurchase it from her. Holly rejected Volkswagen's subsequent offer to repurchase her vehicle, but we were ultimately able to utilize the BBB Repurchase decision to procure a favorable settlement for Holly without having to file any formal legal action against Volkswagen.

Even if your vehicle does not fall under the Lemon Law, you may still be entitled to relief under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the federal lemon law that applies to any defective product, whether it was purchased new or used, that comes with a manufacturer's warranty. The law also requires the manufacturer to pay our attorneys' fees, so we don't have to charge our clients for our services.

Holly is just one of the thousands of consumers that we have represented all across the country. Our experienced North Carolina Lemon Law attorneys will guide you every step of the way, and work with you directly to achieve the best possible result and resolution to your case. Connect here for a free, no-obligation North Carolina Lemon Law case review.