Maine Lemon Law Maine lemon law was created to protect consumers from faulty
motor vehicles. When a motor vehicle is defective and the dealer cannot
remedy the problem, the state of Maine as well as the federal
government demands that the consumer receive compensation.
When consumers apply for free State Lemon Law Arbitration Hearings in
the state of Maine they are given forty-five days before an acceptance
is given. This kind of arbitration must be applied for within in the
first two years of owning the motor vehicle and starts from the date
when the motor vehicle was purchased. The vehicle is also required to
still be under the manufacturer's express warranty. Arbitration forms
are required to include the make, model, mileage, year, purchasing
date, and defect description.
Motor vehicles eligible for lemon laws must have defects that hinder
the safety of the driver or passengers or alter the market value of the
motor vehicle. Vehicles are also required to still be under the
manufacturer's express warranty or be within the two years of the
original purchase.
Only certain vehicles are eligible for compensation through lemon law.
These include automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles,
computers, and consumer appliances. Motor vehicles are the most common
lemons.
Eligibility In order to be eligible a motor vehicle must have prior repair
attempts. These attempts are required to be between three and four
attempts before the vehicle will be considered for lemon law. If under
the manufacturer's express warranty and out of use for a total of
thirty days due to attempted repairs, the vehicle is eligible for
manufacturer repair. These thirty days are not required to be
consecutive and can be added up throughout the express warranty's time
period.
If a motor vehicle is reported after the manufacturer's warranty has
expired the manufacturer is not required to attempt a repair. On the
other hand if the vehicle is reported prior to the express warranty's
expiration but the express warranty expires prior to an attempted
repair, the manufacturer, dealer, or agent is required to attempt a
repair still.
When the motor vehicle is presented to the manufacturer, dealer, or
agent, they are required by law to attempt a repair on the vehicle. The
repair is required to restore the motor vehicle to its manufacturer
standard. If the agent, dealer, or manufacturer cannot restore the
vehicle to this standard within thirty calendar days, compensation will
be required.
Compensation If the motor vehicle cannot be restored to its proper market
value, then compensation will be organized accordingly. Compensation
can be paid in either replacement or refund in the state of Maine. A
replacement vehicle is required to be of the same market value as the
lemon vehicle. When a motor vehicle is to be refunded, the consumer
will receive payment for the full purchasing price as well as
registration fees, government fees, taxes, licensing fee, and other
required payments. Any cosmetic additions to the vehicle will not be
refunded.
If a vehicle has been neglected or abused, the amount of damage may be
subtracted from the compensated value.