Lemon Law – Virginia

"Virginia Gives 'Lemon Law' More Bite Owners of Defective New Cars, Trucks to Have More Protection"

"Virginia is putting the squeeze on auto makers selling faulty products within its borders. The state has approved a tough new lemon law that gives consumers a better chance of getting refunds for, or replacements of, chronically ill cars and trucks.The measure is one of the strongest of 45 state lemon laws in existence. The old law gave the manufacturer four chances to repair safety and non-safety defects before they consumer could seek a refund or replacement. The new law gives the manufacturer one chance to repair a safety defect, such as faulty brakes. Shahan, a Falls Church resident who also heads a consumer group called the CARS Foundation, helped to get a similar lemon law approved in California in 1982. But California was a hard sell compared with Virginia, Shahan said. 'The auto makers have a lot of clout in California that they don't seem to have in Virginia,' she said."

– Washington Post, March 12, 1988