South Dakota Lemon Law

What Is the South Dakota Lemon Law?

The South Dakota Lemon Law provides protection to consumers that buy a new car, truck, or motorcycle which exhibits defects or nonconformities. Specifically, the Lemon Law statute in South Dakota covers any new motor vehicle (as described above) that falls under the following guidelines:

• It is substantially used for personal, family and household purposes;
• It weighs less than 15,000 pounds; and
• It has experienced at least one nonconformity that significantly impaired the vehicle’s use, market value or safety.

How Do I Know if My Vehicle Is a Lemon?

Manufacturers and warrantors of motor vehicles must repair its nonconformities within a reasonable number of repair attempts. Under South Dakota’s Lemon Law statute, a “reasonable number of attempts” means one of the following:

• The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership to be repaired at least four times for the same nonconformity, plus a final repair attempt, within the first two years after the vehicle was purchased or before it was driven 24,000 miles, with at least one repair taking place in the first year after purchase or before it was driven 12,000 miles, and that nonconformity still exists; OR
• The vehicle was out of service as a result of its repairs for at least thirty days within the first two years after the vehicle was purchased or before it was driven 24,000 miles, with at least one repair taking place in the first year after purchase or before it was driven 12,000 miles.

Our attorneys have represented buyers of defective cars, trucks and motorcycles in South Dakota for several years. If you think your vehicle may be a lemon, our South Dakota Lemon Law attorneys can assist you and answer any questions that you have.

What Will the Manufacturer Do for Me if My Vehicle Is a Lemon Vehicle?

If your motor vehicle is a lemon in South Dakota, you are able to get the manufacturer to buy it back from you or replace it with a brand new vehicle. On the other hand, you might be able to receive a “cash-and-keep” settlement, where the manufacturer pays you cash compensation based on the diminished value of your vehicle due to its nonconformities and repairs.

Emmanuel is a car buyer that sought our firm’s assistance in connection with several problems that he was having with his new Nissan Rogue. Emmanuel took his Rogue to an authorized Nissan dealer on multiple occasions for a variety of warranty repairs, and even had the entire engine replaced. He was in need of a South Dakota consumer attorney that handled Lemon Law cases, and ultimately agreed to have our firm represent him. Throughout the course of his case, our attorneys engaged in settlement negotiations with Nissan, and after just a few months, we were able to convince Nissan to repurchase his vehicle.

Even if your vehicle does not fall under the specific requirements of the Lemon Law, you may still be entitled to receive cash compensation under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the federal lemon law that applies to any defective product that comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. The federal law also requires the manufacturer to pay the consumer’s attorneys’ fees, so we don’t have to charge our clients for our services.

Why Should I Choose the Weisberg Consumer Law Group to Be My Lemon Law Attorneys?

Emmanuel is just one of the thousands of consumers that our attorneys have represented all over the country. Our experienced South Dakota Lemon Law attorneys will guide you every step of the way, and work with you directly to get the best possible resolution to your case. Connect here for a free, no-obligation South Dakota Lemon Law case review.

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