Mississippi’s lemon law isn’t particularly well advertised; you’ll have trouble finding out anything at all about it at the State of Mississippi’s Website. While there is a brief mention of the statute on the Website, there is little factual material there. Apparently their law, passed in 1985, covers cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles, either purchased or rented, for a period of one year. The law does not cover mopeds or motorcycles.

Under the Mississippi law, a vehicle will qualify as a lemon if it meets the following criteria:

• The vehicle must have been sold in the state of Mississippi and must be a powered vehicle intended for use on public streets and highways and must have been purchased within the previous twelve months.
• The vehicle must have a defect or nonconformity which impairs the use, market value of safety of the vehicle. This defect must still be present after the manufacturer has been permitted a “reasonable” number of repair attempts. The state defines “reasonable” as three or more attempts to repair the problem.
• A vehicle will also qualify as a lemon if it has been out of service for a cumulative total of 15 business days due to attempts to repair the vehicle. This is quite generous; Louisiana’s lemon law requires a whopping 90 days in the shop to qualify, for instance. This period may be extended if the manufacturer is unable to make repairs due to circumstances beyond its control. While not specifically stated, these reasons usually include, but are not limited to, fire, flood, strike, war, invasion or other natural or man-made disaster.

If the vehicle qualifies, the owner will have the option of one of the following as relief:

• A replacement vehicle of comparable type and value that is acceptable to the consumer.
• A refund of the purchase price. This refund will include all “collateral charges”, which is generally understood to include sales tax, registration and licensing fees, towing, dealer preparation and transportation charges and any finance charges. The dealer will be permitted to adjust this price based prior miles driven. This will be calculated by multiplying the number of miles driven times 20¢ per mile.

If the manufacturer has a certified arbitration program, the vehicle owner must first submit to arbitration. The result of the arbitration hearing is not binding, and the owner may sue if the outcome does not suit them. The manufacturer may, if found liable, replace the vehicle with either a suitable replacement or a refund. These arbitration procedures are generally required by the state because they are intended, and generally do, speed up the process of filing defective vehicle claims. Most people find that they can receive an adequate solution to the problem far faster through arbitration than they can through the legal process.

We can’t find much else on the lemon law from Mississippi. Anyone from Mississippi who has a problem should probably contact the office of the Mississippi Attorney General. A suggestion that they add more information about the lemon law to the site would probably be a good one.

If you are suffering difficulties with your car, truck or van, you may find that you need an attorney. LegalMatch can help locate an experienced attorney in your city. Confidentiality is guaranteed, all lawyers are licensed, and inquiries are free.

Details can be found the Mississippi Lemon Law page