Picture this…..

                You purchase a brand-new vehicle. You have studied comparable vehicles pros and cons, taken a lot of time and effort to make the right decision. You go out to a dealership and sign the papers, excitement is all you can feel. Your first week and 835 miles into your new vehicle Multiple error messages display on the dash, each stating a different malfunction and to contact the dealer. Most notably the pre-collision malfunction light. No big deal everything needs broken in and some things are bound to happen, right? You get the vehicle back, a week later the pre-collision malfunction occurs again. They can’t duplicate the issue, so they do nothing. Now you are driving down the road and the pre-collision malfunction warning light pops up, the vehicle starts beeping and a big red light starts flashing BREAK, BREAK, BREAK and the vehicle slams on the brakes by itself in traffic, with no one in front or behind you (thankfully) and you have the vehicle taken to the dealer via flatbed. They can’t duplicate the issue and send you home. The pre-collision malfunction occurs again, now you start supplying video evidence and they are still unable to repair the vehicle. It happens again, you supply pictures. They can’t duplicate the issue, and nothing is done. It happens again, you supply more pictures and they still can’t duplicate the issue so nothing is done. It happens again, you supply more pictures and have a service manager with you and duplicate the issue, but the tech gets it and says they can’t duplicate the issue and nothing is done. You finally get the technician to get in the vehicle with you for a test drive. He witnesses the malfunction and takes his own video. They replace several components and when you get it back it still has the same failures. Now you realize this vehicle has been in and out of the shop 16 times for a total of 40 days and is only 8 months old. That’s right 8 months old. File a lemon law case, go to arbitration and WIN. Relief flows over you and you are awaiting the call for the buyback. Instead you get a call saying they are appealing the verdict, all the while in the 30 days you were awaiting the call your vehicle has been back to the shop two more times. You must keep paying for repairs and making the car payment for another year while they await another court date. Now you ask yourself, why was a law put into place to protect the consumer that takes so long? The consumer and other motorists are in danger. This is the dilemma that falls on all lemon law victims. In this case it was a 2018 Toyota Tundra and these things happened to me. A new born on the way and the truck I am driving has a pre-collision issue that can’t be fixed. It has caused the truck to slam on the brakes in traffic, the accelerator gets spongy and it loses the ability to accelerate on highway onramps and is constantly buzzing, beeping or flashing warning lights. Then your lawyer tells you that even when or if you win the next hearing the car company still has 90 days to buy the vehicle back. That is correct 90 days.

                I tell this story because I feel all vehicle consumers should be respected and safe when a purchase of this magnitude is made. When a decision is made an appeal should have to be made within a week of the arbitration, then a hearing in no less than 90 days of that appeal should be completed. Finally, once a verdict is given they have 90 days to buy a vehicle back that you made the same purchase on in just 1 day. I am petitioning to get the lemon law altered to reflect timing that is more reasonable and fair. Most vehicle loans have a duration of 5 years. You can be tied up in court 3 years. The law should allow for a 30 day return policy in event of a malfunction or adjusted to have the case adjudicated within 6 months of filing suit. Please join me in signing this petition because one day this could be you or a loved one. Maybe it already was.

If we can get these changes made it could save countless lives as well as make the auto industry more accountable.