Alabama’s Lemon law covers new cars or any other vehicle intended for use on the public highways with the exception of motor homes and vehicles exceeding 10,000 pounds for up to one year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. This would presumably cover cars, pickup trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles. Riding lawnmowers probably would not be covered.

The law permits a vehicle owner to seek relief if he or she owns a vehicle which has a defect or nonconformity which significantly impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle in question. Vehicles with problems resulting from abuse, neglect, modification or alteration not authorized by the manufacturer are not covered by the statute.

As with most states, the law requires that in the event a defect is present, the manufacturer shall be permitted a “reasonable” number of attempts to repair the problem. In Alabama, “reasonable” is defined as three or more unsuccessful attempts to repair a nonconformity. Should the vehicle be out of service for 30 calendar days due to repairs, it will qualify as a lemon whether it has had three or more repair attempts or not.

Once the vehicle meets these qualifications, the manufacturer must be allowed one more attempt to fix the problem. If this final attempt is unsuccessful, the owner may seek relief under the lemon law.

Should the vehicle be declared a lemon, the vehicle owner is entitled to a replacement vehicle or a refund of the purchase price. This refund will include the full contract price including charges for undercoating, dealer preparation, transportation charges, installed options and remaining portions of any additional warranties purchased by the owner. This refund will also include any finance charges if the vehicle was financed.

If the manufacturer has an arbitration program, the vehicle owner must agree to submit to an arbitration hearing. Auto manufacturers establish arbitration programs in order to expedite lemon law claims; the process is generally much faster than a lawsuit, which can take months to schedule. A lawsuit does remain an option for the vehicle owner, however, as the results of the arbitration hearing are not binding for the consumer. They are binding upon the manufacturer, which must either replace the vehicle or refund the purchase price if the owner is declared the winner in an arbitration hearing.

Unlike some other states, Alabama does permit the resale of vehicles which have been returned to the manufacturer as defective.  Dealers who sell such vehicles must disclose to any buyer, in writing, that the vehicle is a lemon law buyback. In addition, the title of the vehicle must be returned to the State, which will return the title marked with the statement “THIS VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE MANUFACTURER BECAUSE IT DID NOT CONFORM TO ITS WARRANTY.”

As laws pertaining to defective vehicles go, Alabama’s statute is about average, both in terms of how many times the vehicle must be submitted for repairs or how long it must be out of service in order to qualify for replacement or a refund.

If you are having difficulties with your car, truck or van, you may find that you need the help of a lawyer. LegaMatch can help find a helpful attorney near where you live. Confidentiality is guaranteed, all attorneys are licensed, and the service is free.

Details can be found the Alabama Lemon Law page