Lemon Law for California

Build Dates : August 29, 2005 -October 17, 2005

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 05V520000

Date Owner’s Notified: 20051122
Date Received by ODI: 20051109
Date Added to Databse: 20051115

Manufacturer’s Involved: FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Manufacturer’s Responsible for the Recall: FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Manufacturer Campaign Number: 05S40

Component: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 199942

Summary:

On certain trucks, passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, the windshield wiper motor may have been produced without grease being applied to the output shaft gear.

Consequence:

After a period of continuous use on the high speed setting, lack of grease on the output shaft gear may cause the gear to distort or fracture during operation resulting in a loss of wiper function. Inoperative wipers under inclement weather conditions could cause a crash due to impaired visibility.

Remedy:

Dealers will inspect the wiper motor for the presence of grease and grease the wiper motor gears if necessary. The recall began on November 22, 2005.

A lemon is described as a vehicle that has had repeated warranty repair work for a defect or defects that impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle. The primary warning signal to the dealer that they have sold a lemon is when the buyer brings the vehicle into the dealership for a second attempt at repairing the same problem.

At this point, the dealer, not financially motivated to deal with a lemon, sometimes tricks the buyer in an effort to get out of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, the excuse that the buyer does not know what he or she is talking about, and that the defect is actually not the dealership’s fault.

Other dealer “deflections” include explaining that the car was actually designed to operate that way, claiming after several repair attempts that no problem was found, and simply avoiding the customer by not returning calls or claiming that they can’t take the car for repair now.

Cars should be dependable enough for buyers that one repair should fix a problem for a very long time, if not the entire lifetime of the car. California has many lemon law attorneys ready to work to make sure the lemon law is enforced. Enjoy the car deals but beware of a lemon.