Lemon cars are basically vehicles that have persistent mechanical problems. Another term used that you might see on a a vehicle history report, is a manufacturer buyback, meaning the manufacturer has repurchased this problem vehicle as it could not be fixed.
Once vehicles are determined to be lemon cars, this status is entered into the DMV databases for future reference. An report can reveal if in fact the vehicle you are considering is a lemon car, and therefore should be avoided at all costs.
Enter your 17-digit VIN below to check if your vehicle is a lemon car:
VIN:
Lemon car status is only one important hidden problem that the history report will reveal. It could uncover many other serious issues such as collision damage, hail or fire damage, odometer tampering and much more.
Fortunately, the quality of used cars is getting better each year, since manufacturers are building better, stronger, longer-lasting cars. Therefore there are fewer lemon cars on the road, and hopefully within the next ten years or so there will be no lemons left at all. Yet there will always be other problems to look out for, ones that are out of the control of manufacturers…those created by drivers themselves.
So even though the concept of the lemon car might soon be a thing of the past, bad drivers and drivers who don’t take care of their vehicles will always exist!
That is why it is so important to get a vehicle history report before you buy…you don’t want to get stuck with a lemon or any other problem vehicle that could end up costing you thousands of dollars in future repairs!
What if I buy one of these lemon cars by accident?
For those of you who think you might have purchased such a vehicle from a neighbor, a friend, or even a dealer, know that you do have legal recourse, especially if you act quickly. There are attorneys who specialize in lemon law, so do a quick search online…type in something like “lemon law” followed by your state or city, and see what comes up.
In the mean time, get all of your documentation together, i.e. dates, times, vehicle info, seller info, etc. so that you have everything you need to proceed. You don’t have to get stuck with lemon cars, so don’t be frustrated. Just be proactive.
In summary, if you came to this page wanting to learn about what a lemon car is and how to avoid it, or if you think you’ve recently purchased one, the information above should be helpful to you.