YOUR ROAD TO RELIEF consumerbrief

1 800-242-5846 New jersey division of consumer New CarL e m o n L a wYOUR road TO RELIEFWhat happens if that new car or motorcycle you boughtturns out to be a lemon? Under the New jersey New CarLemon Law you may be entitled to a new car Lemon Law applies to anyone who buys,leases or registers a new car or motorcycle in New term of protection is 24,000 miles or two (2) yearsfrom the original date of delivery, whichever comes law also covers authorized emergency vehicles and mo-tor homes, except for the living quarters of the motor qualify for RELIEF under the new car Lemon Law, thedefect must substantially impair the use, value or safetyof your vehicle, or be a serious safety defect likely to causedeath or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is CHOOSE THE LEMON LAW UNIT?

2 It s much quicker! - The Lemon Law process hasspecial deadlines which must be met in order toensure quicker handling of your case. Going toSuperior Court could take considerably longer. An attorney is not required - You may choose tohave an attorney represent you but it is not re-quired. If you win your case, the manufacturermust pay for any reasonable attorney s fees. Cases are scheduled at your convenience - Casesare scheduled at a date, time and location that ismost convenient for you, whether it be Newark,Trenton or Atlantic City. The fee is only $50 - There is a $50 filing feewhich is refunded to you if you win your case (com-pared to the $200 filing fee in the Superior Court.)

3 Lemon Law staff are ready to assist you - Whilethe Unit does not provide legal representation, staffare available by phone or e-mail to answer yourquestions IS NOT COVERED: The Lemon Law does not cover vehicles registeredfor commercial use. The Lemon Law does not cover the living quar-ters of motor homes. The Lemon Law does not cover defects caused byaccident, vandalism, abuse or neglect. The Lemon Law does not cover defects caused byattempts to repair or modify the vehicle by a per-son other than the manufacturer, its agent or anauthorized your VEHICLE REPAIREDIt is very important that you report any defect or conditiondirectly to the manufacturer or dealer immediately.

4 It is alsoimportant that you keep all repair receipts and a completerecord of all contacts with the manufacturer and YOU MUST DOBefore you can file a claim under the new car LemonLaw with the division of consumer affairs , you mustgive the manufacturer one final chance to repair thedefect. A letter to the manufacturer (not the dealer) mustbe sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, statingthat you may have a claim and that you are giving themanufacturer one last chance to repair the defect. Theletter may be sent after two repair attempts for the samedefect have failed to fix the problem, or after the vehiclehas been out of service for a cumulative total of 20 days(45 days for a motor home).

5 In the case of a serious safetydefect, the letter can be sent after a single repair attemptfails to fix the problem. The manufacturer should beallowed 10 days following the date on the certified mailreturn receipt to repair the Revised 05/19/11 ContinuedYour final-chance letter must be mailed to themanufacturer s regional office. Contact the division ofConsumer affairs Lemon Law Unit to get the address forthe regional office of your car s LETTER TO THE MANUFACTURER your letter must be sent by certified mail-returnreceipt requested.

6 It must be received by the manufacturer beforethe odometer hits 24,000 miles or two (2) yearsfrom the original date of delivery, whichever oc-curs first. You must be under both limits. Send the letter to the manufacturer using only theaddress provided by the Lemon Law contact the Lemon Law Unit to get thecorrect address. Be sure to include your name, address and tele-phone number. If, after contacting the manufacturer, yourproblem still exists, you should contact the LemonLaw Unit and request an application for LemonLaw Dispute Resolution.

7 You will find below a sample letter to themanufacturer. You must send this letter certifiedmail-return receipt IS WHAT TO EXPECT ON your road TO RELIEF1. your Lemon Law application will be reviewed bya Lemon Law staff member for completeness andto determine whether it meets all of the qualifica-tions for a Lemon Law The application will then be approved, rejectedor sent back to you for Once the application has been approved, a $50filing fee will be Once the fee has been received, the application isconsidered accepted and a copy will then be mailedto the You will then be contacted to set a hearing date,usually within 20 days of the application s accep-tance.

8 Subject to the hearing dates the Office ofAdministrative Law ( ) has available. A copyof the application will then be sent to the administrative law judge s Initial Decision willbe issued within 20 days of the Within 15 days of having received the Initial De-cision, the Director of consumer affairs will is-sue a Final Decision. The Final Decision willeither adopt, reject or modify the Initial qualify for a hearing before an administrative law judge: You must have the minimum required number ofrepair attempts. You must have notified the manufacturer bycertified mail of its final chance to repair thedefect, within the term of protection: 24,000 milesor two (2) years, whichever occurs first.

9 You must have given the manufacturer that finalchance to repair the vehicle, and you must have thecertified mail return receipt proving that the manu-facturer received the final-chance notification. The defect must still exist after the final QUESTIONS?This information is just a guide. If you have anyquestions or are uncertain about a particular aspect ofthe Lemon Law*, you may contact the division ofConsumer affairs Lemon Law Unit, Box 45026,Newark, NJ 07101, 973-504-6226. In addition, theLemon Law Unit will provide, upon request, a guidelinebooklet to the New jersey Lemon Law, and themanufacturer s address.

10 * The Lemon Law Unit also enforces regulations on used cars and on new motorized wheelchairs and Whom It May Concern:DateI believe that my (passenger vehicle/motorcycle) is a lemon underthe New jersey Lemon Law ( 56:12-29 to 56:12-49). I amhereby making a written demand for RELIEF under the Lemon (purchased/leased) a (make, model, year of vehicle and vehicleidentification number) on (date) from (name of dealership) in (city,state). Since I bought the vehicle, I have had to return it to thedealership a total of (total number of times the vehicle was returned toan authorized dealer for repairs) times.