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I need X amount of repairs and Y amount of days in the shop to qualify for lemon law.
This myth is not surprising. Even seemingly reputable sources — including law firms and local government agencies — make errors regarding these two types of lemon law qualifications. Most of the errors are made in an effort to simplify and explain how lemon law works in terms of a rule of thumb.
The truth is, while here are certain numbers regarding repairs and days in the repair shop that establish a LEGAL PRESUMPTION THAT THE VEHICLE IS A LEMON, there is no hard and fast rule that establishes a judgment that the vehicle is a lemon.
With or without the presumption, your car is a lemon if a reasonable person would find that it has had too many repair attempts or spent too much downtime in the shop. Your car may be deemed a lemon after as few as two repair attempts, or no repair attempts in cases such as a spontaneous fire that burns your car to a total loss before the defect can be repaired. Along this line of reasoning, safety issues generally require fewer repair attempts than non-safety related issues.
The reasonableness standard comes down to the arguments lawyers could make before a jury or judge at trial. If those arguments are persuasive enough, the case will usually be settled instead of going to trial.
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