Florida Lemon Law FL Stat. 681.101

Florida Lemon Law 681.101 Legislative intent

The Legislature recognizes that a motor vehicle is a major consumer purchase and that a defective motor vehicle undoubtedly creates a hardship for the consumer. The Legislature further recognizes that a duly franchised motor vehicle dealer is an authorized service agent of the manufacturer. It is the intent of the Legislature that a good faith motor vehicle warranty complaint by a consumer be resolved by the manufacturer within a specified period of time; however, it is not the intent of the Legislature that a consumer establish the presumption of a reasonable number of attempts as to each manufacturer that provides a warranty directly to the consumer. It is further the intent of the Legislature to provide the statutory procedures whereby a consumer may receive a replacement motor vehicle, or a full refund, for a motor vehicle which cannot be brought into conformity with the warranty provided for in this chapter. However, nothing in this chapter shall in any way limit or expand the rights or remedies which are otherwise available to a consumer under any other law.

History.–s. 2, ch. 83-69; s. 1, ch. 84-55; ss. 1, 19, ch. 88-95; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 1, ch. 97-245. Florida Lemon Law 681.102 Definitions.–As used in this chapter, the term:

  1. Authorized service agent means any person, including a franchised motor vehicle dealer, who is authorized by the manufacturer to service motor vehicles. In the case of a recreational vehicle when there are two or more manufacturers, an authorized service agent for any individual manufacturer is any person, including a franchised motor vehicle dealer, who is authorized to service the items warranted by that manufacturer. The term does not include a rental car company authorized to repair rental vehicles.
  2. Board means the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board.
  3. Collateral charges means those additional charges to a consumer wholly incurred as a result of the acquisition of the motor vehicle. For the purposes of this chapter, collateral charges include, but are not limited to, manufacturer-installed or agent-installed items or service charges, earned finance charges, sales taxes, and title charges.
  4. Consumer means the purchaser, other than for purposes of resale, or the lessee, of a motor vehicle primarily used for personal, family, or household purposes; any person to whom such motor vehicle is transferred for the same purposes during the duration of the Lemon Law rights period; and any other person entitled by the terms of the warranty to enforce the obligations of the warranty.
  5. Days means calendar days.
  6. Department means the Department of Legal Affairs.
  7. Division means the Division of Consumer Services of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
  8. Incidental charges means those reasonable costs to the consumer which are directly caused by the nonconformity of the motor vehicle.
  9. Lease pricemeans the aggregate of the capitalized cost, as defined in s. 521.003(2), and each of the following items to the extent not included in the capitalized cost:
    1. Lessor’s earned rent charges through the date of repurchase.
    2. Collateral charges, if applicable.
    3. Any fee paid to another to obtain the lease.
    4. Any insurance or other costs expended by the lessor for the benefit of the lessee.
    5. An amount equal to state and local sales taxes, not otherwise included as collateral charges, paid by the lessor when the vehicle was initially purchased.
  10. Lemon Law rights period means the period ending 24 months after the date of the original delivery of a motor vehicle to a consumer.
  11. Lessee means any consumer who leases a motor vehicle for 1 year or more pursuant to a written lease agreement which provides that the lessee is responsible for repairs to such motor vehicle or any consumer who leases a motor vehicle pursuant to a lease-purchase agreement.
  12. Lessee cost means the aggregate deposit and rental payments previously paid to the lessor for the leased vehicle but excludes debt from any other transaction.
  13. Lessor means a person who holds title to a motor vehicle that is leased to a lessee under a written lease agreement or who holds the lessor’s rights under such agreement.
  14. Manufacturer means any person, whether a resident or nonresident of this state, who manufactures or assembles motor vehicles, or who manufactures or assembles chassis for recreational vehicles, or who manufactures or installs on previously assembled truck or recreational vehicle chassis special bodies or equipment which, when installed, forms an integral part of the motor vehicle, a distributor as defined in s. 320.60(5), or an importer as defined in s. 320.60(7). A dealer as defined in s. 320.60(11)(a) shall not be deemed to be a manufacturer, distributor, or importer as provided in this section.
  15. Motor vehicle means a new vehicle, propelled by power other than muscular power, which is sold in this state to transport persons or property, and includes a recreational vehicle or a vehicle used as a demonstrator or leased vehicle if a manufacturer’s warranty was issued as a condition of sale, or the lessee is responsible for repairs, but does not include vehicles run only upon tracks, off-road vehicles, trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, motorcycles, mopeds, or the living facilities of recreational vehicles. “Living facilities of recreational vehicles” are those portions designed, used, or maintained primarily as living quarters and include, but are not limited to, the flooring, plumbing system and fixtures, roof air conditioner, furnace, generator, electrical systems other than automotive circuits, the side entrance door, exterior compartments, and windows other than the windshield and driver and front passenger windows.
  16. Nonconformity means a defect or condition that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of a motor vehicle, but does not include a defect or condition that results from an accident, abuse, neglect, modification, or alteration of the motor vehicle by persons other than the manufacturer or its authorized service agent.
  17. Procedure means an informal dispute-settlement procedure established by a manufacturer to mediate and arbitrate motor vehicle warranty disputes.
  18. Program means the mediation and arbitration pilot program for recreational vehicles established in this chapter.
  19. Purchase price means the cash price as defined in s. 520.31(2), inclusive of any allowance for a trade-in vehicle, but excludes debt from any other transaction. “Any allowance for a trade-in vehicle” means the net trade-in allowance as reflected in the purchase contract or lease agreement if acceptable to the consumer and manufacturer. If such amount is not acceptable to the consumer and manufacturer, then the trade-in allowance shall be an amount equal to 100 percent of the retail price of the trade-in vehicle as reflected in the NADA Official Used Car Guide (Southeastern Edition) or NADA Recreation Vehicle Appraisal Guide, whichever is applicable, in effect at the time of the trade-in. The manufacturer shall be responsible for providing the applicable NADA book.
  20. Reasonable offset for use means the number of miles attributable to a consumer up to the date of a settlement agreement or arbitration hearing, whichever occurs first, multiplied by the purchase price of the vehicle and divided by 120,000, except in the case of a recreational vehicle, in which event it shall be divided by 60,000.
  21. Recreational vehicle means a motor vehicle primarily designed to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use, but does not include a van conversion.
  22. Replacement motor vehicle means a motor vehicle which is identical or reasonably equivalent to the motor vehicle to be replaced, as the motor vehicle to be replaced existed at the time of acquisition. “Reasonably equivalent to the motor vehicle to be replaced” means the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the replacement vehicle shall not exceed 105 percent of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the motor vehicle to be replaced. In the case of a recreational vehicle, “reasonably equivalent to the motor vehicle to be replaced” means the retail price of the replacement vehicle shall not exceed 105 percent of the purchase price of the recreational vehicle to be replaced.
  23. Warranty means any written warranty issued by the manufacturer, or any affirmation of fact or promise made by the manufacturer, excluding statements made by the dealer, in connection with the sale of a motor vehicle to a consumer which relates to the nature of the material or workmanship and affirms or promises that such material or workmanship is free of defects or will meet a specified level of performance.

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