Lemon Law

[TGarrett]

Just wondering if anyone has invoked the Lemon Law when attempts to get major repairs done to your motor coach have failed. Also what was the outcome? Suggestions and comments are welcome. Thanks.

[britcon]

Lemon Laws vary state to state. Had some friends with an issue in Florida and they were advised lemon laws in FLA don not apply to Motorhomes.

[lllkrob]

I think you will find that Lemon Laws in most states do not apply to recreational vehicles. Those states that do apply them only apply them to the motorized chassis portion and not the "house" portion. There are only a couple of states that apply Lemon Laws to the entire vehicle, California being one and maybe New York the other. However most states have "fitness of purpose" statutes that often can be used. In any case it's going to be very expensive to pursue this course, and you will be responsible for any litigation cost.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Check your state, but in most either they don't apply at all, or apply only to the chassis/engine.

[kjburns]

I had a similar situation and didn't pursue it, but as noted there generally aren't lemon laws for RVs. The way to approach it is a "diminution in value" lawsuit against the manufacturer. This is defined as a reduction in market value.

[dvmweb]

Lemon law may apply to chassis and engine, but not for the coach.


2013 FleetWood Expedition 38B

[PanJH]

In Florida the law applies to the chassis but not the house. I had many issues with the house part when I got the MH and looked in to it.

[stik]

If you're Texas residents, have ALL your documentation - get a hold of the Lemon Law for Texas. If you qualify, you may be able to get a new motorhoome, I know someone who just did! No lawyers were involved on the motorhome owners part, just documentation, patience, documentation, contacted dealer, documentation, then District Manager. Oh, and did I mention documentation? Contrary to other posts, it had nothing to do with the chassis or drivetrain. It concerned the slides.

Just because you have a bunch of different things wrong, will not, normally fall under most Lemon Laws. Repeatedly failing to repair (usually 3 times) the same, significant malfunction or defect, on the other hand, is what most Lemon Laws are based on.

There are two types of Lemons, those like alot of us get, bunch of different things wrong that irritate the crap out of us, and we label it a lemon. Then there is the Lemon Law Lemon, as described above, multiple failures to repair the same problem with serious inconvenience to the buyer.

Good luck.

[RVLola]

I live in AZ and our Lemon Law does not apply, but I found an AZ lawyer who was willing to sue the dealer and manufacturer and was confident we would get damages. We decided to just take the opportunity to unload the rig and upgrade, so we didn't use the attorney.
He only gets paid if you win, so he won't take a loser case.
The website is lemonlawaz.com and the attorney is Luis Ramirez. The law he was going to use is Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

Good luck.

[ga traveler]

Our dealership in Georgia was involved in two lemon law actions. The customers won in both cases. Both were safety issues. I was told by both customers that you could only use the lemon law for a buy back if it was a safety issue.(in Georgia) One was a tag axle brake on a Pace Arrow. Several dealer shops tried to fix it. It went back to Fleetwood and they could not fix it. The other was a Allegro. The brake boost system sounded like a jet plane taking off. Again several dealers attempted to repair it. It finally went back to Chevrolet and they replaced the whole system. No help. Both customers got brand new coaches.

[gemini5362]

This thread is a perfect example of people thinking they know the law and not really knowing it. Every state has their own lemon law. I just googled Arkansas RV Lemon Law and then went to the appropriate page. The Lemon Law in Arkansas applies to Rv's and it does not have to be a new vehicle it can be up to 2 years old. Here is the thread so that you can see how the law is applied in Arkansas. All states will have their own laws about this subject.

Arkansas Lemon Law | Lemon Justice

[PanJH]

Originally Posted by gemini5362

This thread is a perfect example of people thinking they know the law and not really knowing it. Every state has their own lemon law. I just googled Arkansas RV Lemon Law and then went to the appropriate page. The Lemon Law in Arkansas applies to Rv's and it does not have to be a new vehicle it can be up to 2 years old. Here is the thread so that you can see how the law is applied in Arkansas. All states will have their own laws about this subject.

Arkansas Lemon Law | Lemon Justice

The OP has Florida for the address so it's likely Arkansas laws are not material.
As I stated previously the house is not covered on RV's , only the chassis/running gear. Please reference Florida Statute 681.102(14) , where it states:
Parts or components of RVs not covered under Florida’s Lemon Law include “living facilities” which are defined as portions of the vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily as living quarters, such as the flooring, plumbing system and fixtures, roof air conditioner, furnace, generator, electrical systems other than automotive circuits, the side entrance door, exterior components and windows other than the windshield and driver and front passenger windows.

[lllkrob]

Originally Posted by gemini5362

This thread is a perfect example of people thinking they know the law and not really knowing it. Every state has their own lemon law. I just googled Arkansas RV Lemon Law and then went to the appropriate page. The Lemon Law in Arkansas applies to Rv's and it does not have to be a new vehicle it can be up to 2 years old. Here is the thread so that you can see how the law is applied in Arkansas. All states will have their own laws about this subject.

Arkansas Lemon Law | Lemon Justice

I suggest you due more research than just a lawyer's website. From the Arkansas DMV web site concerning applicability of the states lemon law.


NOTE: The Arkansas lemon law does not cover:

• Mopeds.
• Motorcycles.
• The living area in a motorhome.
• Vehicles weighing more than 13,000 lbs.

The exceptions noted above disqualify many RV's including the OP's motorhome..

[jesilvas]

One mention was about "repeated attempts to repair that have failed." Lots of people think they are entitled to something new (something about people that spans generations) when their new thing breaks.
And usually, it's repeated repairs to the same component, not all over.