Over the last 20 years I have practiced in the field of lemon law and breach of warranty for defective automobiles which were purchased or leased in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. During that time my firm, David J. Gorberg & Associates PC, has helped more than 22,000 thousand consumers of defective cars, recovering millions of dollars in settlements from numerous auto manufacturers. Every day we receive numerous phone calls at 1-800-MY-LEMON (1-800-695-3666) from Pennsylvania and New Jersey consumers requesting help for their lemon cars. The most commonly asked question my office receives is whether a “used car” is covered under the Pennsylvania lemon law. Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania lemon law does not provide coverage for used cars. Despite the lack of coverage for used cars, there is another federal law which permit owners to seek money back from the manufacturer for a defective used car.

The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, also known as the federal lemon law, is similar to the PA Lemon Law in that it allows consumers to seek money back from the auto manufacturers for a defective car, and in addition, recover all attorney fees and costs from the manufacturer. The Magnuson Moss Warranty named after the two senators who sponsored the law, applies to any consumer product, new or used, that comes with a warranty, and costs at least $25.00. The law covers all used cars, since they are consumer products, during the term of the manufacturers warranty.

The Magnuson Moss Act was written to ensure that manufacturers of any consumer product who offer a written warranty on the product, promptly repair any defects. Should the manufacturer fail to promptly repair a defect in the product, the law allows consumers to sue the manufacturer for money back for the failure to repair the defect under the terms of the warranty. This law applies to all consumer products including new and used cars. Therefore a purchaser of a used car in Pennsylvania, which still has the original warranty or extended warranty, can sue the auto manufacturer for money should the used car be defective and the dealer is not able to repair the defects promptly under the manufacturer warranty.

Our PA lemon law firm has used the Federal Warranty Act in thousands of cases involving defects for defective used cars in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We have been successful in obtaining money back for our clients with defective cars and recovering all attorney fees and costs from the manufacturer.  If you purchased a used car or truck and are having problems, give us a call we can help you get a refund.