Illinois Lemon Law

The Illinois Lemon Law provides legal protection to consumers that purchase or lease defective new cars, trucks, motorcycles, and motorized recreational vehicles (“RV’s”). Specifically, the Illinois Lemon Law covers any new motor vehicle that was purchased or leased in the state and meets the following criteria:

• It is normally used for personal, family or household purposes. The statute does not apply to commercial vehicles nor vehicles that are used primarily for business purposes.
• It is designed for transporting no more than ten people.
• It weighs under 8,000 pounds.
• It has at least one defect or nonconformity that constitutes a substantial impairment of the use, value or safety of the vehicle.

Manufacturers of cars, trucks, motorcycles and RV’s are legally required to repair the defects in a consumer’s new motor vehicle within a reasonable number of repair attempts. Under Illinois Lemon Law, a “reasonable number of attempts” means either one (or both) of the following:

• The new motor vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer four or more times for the same defect that first arose within the first year or 12,000 miles after the vehicle was purchased or leased, and the defect still exists; OR
• The vehicle was out of service as a result of its repairs for thirty or more business days within the first year or 12,000 miles after it was purchased or leased.

Our attorneys have handled hundreds of cases for consumers all across Illinois who purchased or leased lemon vehicles. If you are not sure about whether your vehicle is a lemon, our Illinois Lemon Law attorneys can assist you and answer any questions that you have.

If you have a new lemon vehicle that was purchased or leased in Illinois, you are entitled to have the manufacturer repurchase your vehicle or replace it with a new one. Alternatively, you might be entitled to receive a “cash-and-keep” settlement, wherein you would receive financial compensation due to the diminished value of your vehicle as a result of its defects and repairs.

Quinton is a Illinois consumer who sought our help because he was having problems with the engine and transmission in his brand new GMC Sierra. Quinton took his Sierra to an authorized GMC dealer on multiple occasions, and even had his entire transmission replaced. Moreover, Quintin’s truck was out of service for more than 135 days due to its ongoing defects and repairs. Quinton was in need of an Illinois attorney that focused on Lemon Law matters, and ultimately agreed to have our law firm represent him. Throughout his case we tried to settle the dispute directly with General Motors, and after just a few months, we were able to procure a very reasonable settlement for him, and General Motors also paid our attorneys’ fees.

Even if your vehicle doesn’t actually fall under the Lemon Law statute, you might 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. This law also requires the manufacturer to pay our attorneys’ fees, so we do not have to charge our clients for our services.

Quinton is just one of the thousands of motor vehicle owners that we have helped all across the country. Our experienced Illinois Lemon Law attorneys will guide you every step of the way, and work with you directly to get the best possible result and resolution to your case. Connect here for a free, no-obligation Illinois Lemon Law case review.