Toyota Lemon Law

There is no single or easy answer. The Lemon Law requires both a substantial defect and either that the vehicle is not repaired after multiple attempts to get it fixed or it has been at the dealership for many days cumulatively. Substantial defects impair the vehicle’s “use, value, and/or safety.”

• A defect that affects a vehicle’s use is one that prevents you from driving the vehicle as it was intended to be driven.
• A vehicle’s value is diminished when the defect means the vehicle won’t sell for the price it normally would bring – if the defect weren’t there.
• Safety defects are defects that put the driver, passengers, and other drivers in danger.

The problem does not have to be safety related to qualify. If your Toyota has been ‘in the shop’ repeatedly and still has the same issue, it may be a lemon. If a defect involves a safety issue, such as faulty airbags, it may only require two repair attempts. If your Toyota has been in ‘the shop’ for more than thirty days, cumulative, regardless of the defect(s), it may also qualify as a lemon. Some examples of problems in a Toyota vehicle that could be considered substantial are problems involving:

• Brakes
• Engines
• Steering
• Electrical systems
• Suspension
• Air conditioning/heating systems
• Windows
• Transmissions
• Doors
• Back up cameras
• Water leaks

It is important to remember that your Toyota does not have to be brand new or have incredibly low mileage to be protected. Even if your Toyota has over 50,000 miles on it, if you took it in for repair while it was still under warranty it could still potentially be considered a lemon.