You think you have used the car quite awhile before noticing the defect? Hang on. There is a strong possibility that you still stand a chance of a full refund. If you reported the problem to the dealer or the manufacturer within the course of the first 18,000 miles of operation or within a period of two years from the date of original delivery, whichever is earlier, the manufacturer has to make, or arrange with to make through its dealer, within a reasonable time, all repairs necessary to correct the problem.
If in course of the 'lemon law rights period', the manufacturer or its dealer cannot repair or rectify the problem reasonably, the manufacturer shall be obliged to buy the vehicle back from the consumer. The manufacturer shall provide the consumer with a full refund of the purchase price. If the customer added any optional part or installed other modifications through the manufacturer or its dealer within 30 days after the date of original delivery, then the cost of those will also be refunded to him. Though there are certain conditions on recovery of any cost incurred or fees, taxes paid, the consumer is fairly protected against any fraudulent dumping of a lemon on him in New Jersey.
But be careful! The stipulation regarding the time within which you have to report the problem and give the manufacturer adequate opportunity to correct it is binding. Once that period is past, your hopes to recover costs under the New Jersey lemon law will also vanish. So don’t sit on the problem and waste away precious time which may prove truly costly.
