NetRave,
Years ago, I sent a brand new 96 Bronco back under the lemon law. No lawyers, no major expense
and got a new truck out of it, no extra charge. Could have gotten all my money back too! I opted
for the OJ truck instead.
In NJ, we have the Division of Consumer Affairs. THEY are the only people on your side, not Caddi-care,
not the service manager, none of 'em. Just the state AG.
The procedure can vary state to state, but the bottom line is if you have under a certain amount of
mileage (you would in all cases at 5k I'd imagine), and IF you have a recurring problem with one major
component or multiple problems with multiple components that
effect safety, you are probably
in good shape for an easy win. Headliner sagging, no way...gauges blacking out while you are driving, ummm...YEAH safety issue!
Here's how I did it. Recurring problem with alignment. They tried shims, re-welding control arm mounts,
etc. Nothing worked, and I drove a loaner for what seemed like forever. The law said I gotta give the
dealer 3 shots at fixing it, which I did. After the 3rd time, it still wasn't right.
My next move was to send a certified letter to Ford corporate, the instruction pack from the state told
me what to say. They had 10 calendar days from date of delivery of the letter to not only reply, but to
fix the problem to my satisfaction. I mailed it out overnight on the Thurs. before columbus day, figuring I'd
get a 4 day jump on it because of the holiday. They sat on it for another week and a half.
I waited for the call, which I got on the 15th day. "Hi, this is Jeff from Ford corporate, and we're
gonna fix your truck for ya' today"..."Um, Jeff, the law says 10 days and I get cash back, you are on
day 15 and I got nothing much to say to you except when can I pick up my check"...pause, keyboard
taps..."Tell you what, sir, we're going to find you a new truck, and when that comes in, we'll give you a call, how's that? Figure a week or two max, we're on it."
Stop wasting your time with the guys who are calling themselves your pals. Their loyalty is to the dealer,
not you. Google "Lemon Law for _______ state", get the facts, and then tell them you're going to war. That
might get you a new car, or at least some action!
Good luck!
Re: lemon law? Unbelievable amount of problems... 
, yikes. Now the the steering makes a whining noise when I start the car and turn the wheel the first time or two. While whining the whole car shudders. They have finally figured out how to reproduce the issue, 40 days later, nothing. I have called customer service and was told they would not purchase the car. They offered me 25k on trade, this is a 50k car WTF. The service manager appears to be on my side, but I can't tell. I consulted with my lawyer and I was told the Texas lemon law isn't very good and since I have a loaner time in the shop doesn't count
. This sux, but at least I get a new car every couple of months.
