There are some states that go full "gung ho" when it comes to consumer
protection as it applies to car buying. Other states provide the
minimum of protection. The Iowa Lemon Laws would fall into the latter
category. The official Lemon Law can be found in the Iowa Code Chapter
322G.
Unlike other states which have set up distinct arbitration boards to
handle these kinds of disputes, Iowa law provided the framework for
retribution, but you're pretty much on your own. That doesn't mean you
can't get a refund or replacement vehicle for a lemon you bought in
Iowa. If you qualify, the state will back you, but you'll have to
settle the matter in court.
Iowa Lemon Law Qualifications
It's not hard to define a lemon when it's your own car. If it's brand
new and doesn't work, it's a lemon. However, there are specific
qualification requirements under the Iowa statues that need to be met
in order to obtain official consumer protection. You will need to have
taken your car into the mechanic at least 3 separate times to fix a
single problem. You could skip over this "3 visit" rule if the defect
is deemed to be so serious that if might cause serious physical injury
or worse.
Another possible qualification would be that you couldn't drive your
car because of the problem for at least 20 days. Keep in mind that
those 20 days don't have to be all in a row.
All of those incidents need to occur during the Lemon Law rights
period. The state of Iowa defines this as the length of the
manufacturer's original warranty or two years after you took ownership
of the car or the first 24,000 miles whichever comes first.
Iowa Lemon Law Procedures
The first step in the Iowa Lemon Law remedy process is to send a
certified letter to the car maker explaining the situation. Officially,
they get at least one more chance to fix the problem. Note that the car
maker is not the car dealer. You might have bought the car in Iowa but
if they made it in Detroit, that's where you'll have to send the
notice. Every car manufacturer has a specific department and address
set up to handle these very situations.
Included in your letter should be copies of all the history you've had
with this particular car including repair bills/estimates and dates.
Make sure that these documents are easy to read and not just scribbled
on the back of a napkin. You should also tell that same manufacturer
that you want a reply to this matter within ten days. That doesn't mean
they'll be rolling up with a new car to swap out the lemon with.
However, they need to respond as to what they intend to do to remedy
the issue. If they don't contact you within ten days then you can move
to the next step.
That next step is filing a lawsuit against the car maker using the Iowa
Lemon Law as the basis for your complaint. Before that, make sure the
car manufacturer doesn't have their own dispute program in place. If
so, you might have to go down that road first. Because this matter
could ultimately be decided in a courtroom, you should consider having
an experienced lawyer by your side for the proceedings. When a ruling
is issued in your favor, you can seek a replacement car or refund from
the car maker.