Like many other states, Louisiana has a lemon law in place to protect consumers who purchase vehicles in the state. Covered vehicles include passenger and commercial vehicles that require registration, watercraft and all-terrain vehicles, and the drive train and chassis of motor homes that are sold in the state and are still under warranty.
Consumers who are protected by the lemon law include those who purchase or lease a vehicle, excluding those who purchase a vehicle for the purpose of reselling it. Consumers to whom a vehicle is transferred are also protected as are any others who are entitled to enforce a vehicle warranty.
If there is a defect or nonconformity in the vehicle that does not conform to the warranty, the consumer is to first report it to the dealer and present the vehicle for repair during the warranty period. The dealer is then required to make the repairs in order to bring the vehicle into conformity. If the repair cannot be made after four attempts or if the vehicle is out of service for more than 90 days, the dealer then has to repurchase the vehicle from the consumer.
Like other laws, the lemon law has a statute of limitations during which consumers must file a claim, or they will be foreclosed on their ability to do so. When a person has purchased a defective motor vehicle and the dealer or manufacturer refuses to make the repairs or to repurchase it, he or she may be able to seek recompense by filing a product liability claim under the lemon law against the dealer or manufacturer. A personal injury attorney with experience in defective products cases could evaluate his or her case in order to determine if the lemon law applies.
Source: Better Business Bureau, “Standards Of The Louisiana Lemon Law“, November 21, 2014
