Maryland Lemon Laws
Know Your Maryland Lemon Laws
The Maryland Automotive Warranty Enforcement Act was enacted as a law by the Maryland General Assembly in the year 1984. This was also commonly referred to as the Maryland lemon law. This law was introduced to provide customers with more rights in order to enforce manufacturer’s warranties on new cars.
One important thing to be noted is that every single car that is sold through a dealer includes the manufacturer’s warranty. In the event a dealer or the manufacturer refuses to honor the commitment made on the warranty or in the event where your new car faces frequent repairs regarding the same problem, you can opt for a legal solution using the Maryland Lemon laws which have been created to protect the interests of the consumers.
The Maryland lemon laws are not applicable to used cars. However, Maryland laws ask the seller to present a Maryland Safety Inspection Certificate to the buyer that is valid for ninety days. You can sell the used car in an ‘as is’ condition provided it has put in at least 60000 miles or is beyond six years old. These used cars come with an implied warranty that the vehicle is functioning in a reasonable manner for a reasonable length of time.
However, there are other laws that ensure the protection of the used car buyer. Given below are some of the laws. Let us try and understand them.
1. According to the federal Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, a manufacturer must abide by the different kinds of warranty that includes written or implied warranties, express warranties or any service contracts.
2. Next, as per the Federal Trade Commission’s used car rule, every dealer has to provide the customers with a Buyer’s guide with each and every vehicle they sell. This Buyers Guide is considered to be a part of the overall sales contract.
3. Further, you have state laws which deal with implied warranties on the part of the dealer with regards to used cars or vehicles. However, in some states, dealers get around the law by selling the vehicles in ‘as is’ condition.
4. You also have express warranties that are clearly specified and include the verbal representations made by sales persons along with advertisements.
5. The Maryland lemon laws allow you to use the new car lemon laws provided your car or vehicle is of a recent model and meets the necessary time and mileage requirements.
6. Likewise, you have the Uniform Commercial Code which can be used when a dealer does not honor the warrant of merchantability.