A purchaser of a car expects that the car will be free of material defects. Lemon laws have been enacted by [Page 1280]all 50 states and the District of Columbia to protect such purchasers when their newly purchased vehicle experiences one or more defects that have not been repaired within a reasonable period. The defects must result in the vehicle not conforming to the manufacturer's warranty to be eligible for lemon law protection. Court cases have concluded that an effective lemon law should reduce the inconvenience and frustration that a consumer faces in a lawsuit. They should provide a method of achieving satisfaction directly from the manufacturer by creating a framework establishing when vehicles should be repurchased or replaced by the manufacturer.

Prior to the 1970s, ...