The Ohio Lemon Law applies to motor vehicles purchased or leased in the State of Ohio. To qualify for compensation under the law, the vehicle must have a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety.
When you have such a defective vehicle, you’ll need to bring it to the manufacturer for repairs within the first year or 18,000 miles of ownership, whichever comes first. Defects that occur or are reported after this period should still qualify for protection under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. But you should always report defects as soon as possible.
For defects that could cause death or serious injury, you only need to provide the manufacturer with a single repair attempt before you can take legal action. For less dangerous defects, Ohio Lemon Law allows manufacturers three repair attempts.
Additionally, vehicles can qualify for compensation if they are out of service for a total of 30 days OR if they’re subjected to eight repair attempts for any number of defects within the first year and 18,000 miles of ownership.
If your vehicle’s defect(s) still exists after these repair attempts, it’s a lemon. Before you can collect a check or a new car, you’ll need to present your case to a third-party arbitration panel. You’re free to present your case to the panel without representation but having an experienced Ohio Lemon Law attorney in your corner greatly increases your chances of success.
Thankfully, the Ohio law includes a fee-shifting provision that holds the manufacturer responsible for your attorneys’ fees when you win your case. And at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center®, we only get paid if you do. Thus, there are no compelling reasons to represent yourself in Lemon Law proceedings when you can hire an attorney at no cost to you.
After reviewing your case, the arbitration board will rule on whether you deserve to be compensated and to what extent. If you aren’t satisfied with the board’s decision, the next step would be to file a civil action with the courts. Cases that reach this far typically settle before going to trial. In fact, more than 99% of our cases settle before trial.
If the manufacturer does offer a settlement at any point in this process, only you can decide whether to accept it or not. We will always provide our professional opinion concerning any settlement offer, but the decision to accept an offer is ultimately yours to make.