Lemon Law for California

Build Dates : April 01, 2006 - May 30, 2006
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V254000

Date Owner’s Notified: 20060731
Date Received by ODI: 20060713
Date Added to Databse: 20060713

Manufacturer’s Involved: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Manufacturer’s Responsible for the Recall: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Manufacturer Campaign Number: 06054

Component: PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL:AIR
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 1184

Summary:
Certain medium duty trucks equipped SR-7 bendix brake valves, the check valve inside the valve cavity may not properly set, causing internal air leakage. If the check valve does not properly seat, the resulting leakage can cause a delay in the application of the spring brakes to park the vehicle after operator pulls the dash valve button.

Consequence:
The delayed parking brake application can occur without warning, leading to unintended vehicle rollaway increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy:
Dealers will inspect the valves and replace it free of charge. The recall began on july 31, 2006.

For most Americans (and especially Californian’s), their vehicle is one of their largest monetary investments and reoccurring monthly payments. Protecting equity in that investment is why the California Lemon Law was written in the first place.

To turn frustration into “time well spent,” take the frustration and put it to use. If you think your vehicle is, or may turn out to be a “lemon,” start with the basics: paperwork. Find and organize all of your original sale/lease documents, licensing/registration documents, monthly payment statement(s), and your repair order documents. Take photocopies of originals and set them all in a chronological order from the day you took delivery of your vehicle until now. You will note that warranty repairs at car dealerships are broken down into two documents per visit. First, the “work order” — this is the document you sign that has your stated complaint. Second, the “invoice” — this is the document you receive when your vehicle repair is completed and the vehicle is returned to you. The “invoice” has “date in/date out” information as well as “miles in/miles out.” The invoice also notes what the dealer did in an attempt to diagnose and repair your vehicle for each of your complaints.

You may find that you are missing certain invoices, as they may have been lost or the dealer simply didn’t give you one. If this is the case, visit your Service Advisor or Service Manager and request copies. Some dealerships’ computers “purge” repair documents every 30 days. If this is the case, then simply ask your Advisor or Manager to provide you with a “warranty repair history” printout from their dealer-to-manufacturer linked computer. All dealers have this, and the printout will show every warranty claim submitted by any dealer in the United States to the manufacturer of your vehicle. Have your license/registration with you, as they will need verification of ownership before giving out this information.

Remember, the selling or servicing automobile dealer is not responsible to repurchase or replace your car under the California Lemon Law, the manufacturer is. The automobile manufacturers are very experienced in dealing with California Lemon Law consumer enquiries and, as you can imagine, are not in the business to buy back or replace vehicles every time a customer says “my vehicle is a lemon.” Their responsibility under their limited warranty is simply to correct the warranty non-conformity (defect) so that the vehicle conforms to its warranty’s provisions.

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[ To Learn more our services and areas of practice, please visit our website at www.LemonLawIntel.com ]

The consumer will often call the manufacturer’s “customer assistance center” or other facility offered by the manufacturer via an “800” number to “assist” in resolving the customer’s request for help, or a repurchase or replacement vehicle under the California Lemon Law.

It is vitally important to know that these “assistance centers” are staffed by people who are typically recording your conversation for “quality control purposes.” The recording can potentially be used against the consumer in a later Arbitration or legal action depending upon the content of the recording – that is – if it benefits the manufacturer’s position. You should consider telling the customer assistance center representative that you intend to record the conversation as well, so both parties have a record of what was said.

In dealing with these “customer assistance centers,” the consumer is often given a “case number”. Do not be misled by the word “case” or “case number”. It is not a legal Lemon Law case, as you might think. It is simply a reference number used to retrieve information on your past call(s) into the “customer assistance center” when calling in again.

Often the agent at the customer assistance center will “offer” a “solution” to the consumer’s request for repurchase or replacement of their defective vehicle by offering a Service Contract, Extended Warranty, the return of a few monthly car payments, or other “resolutions” to the consumer’s request for California “lemon law” assistance. These “offers” are often accompanied by a “release” form that forever releases the manufacturer from any legal responsibility to you for current or future problems you may encounter with your vehicle. These “offers” and “resolutions” do not comply with California state lemon law requirements in any way or fashion. Car owner beware!

Some customer assistance centers will simply “re-direct” the customer back to their selling dealer to get another repair. Others will “inform” the customer that the customer assistance center will “contact” the repairing dealership. This often simply leads to another repair visit, with no satisfaction to the consumer for their defective vehicle. Some consumers have likened this to the “merry-go-round” syndrome. The consumer does not like the “ride” and “wants to get off”.

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[ To Learn more our services and areas of practice, please visit our website at www.LemonLawIntel.com ]