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Steps to Follow

Step 2

Final Repair Attempt

After you have made the number of repairs required in Step 1, you must allow the manufacturer an opportunity to make a final attempt at repair.  You may use the form titled Notice to Manufacturer of Final Opportunity to Repair, or you may write a letter to the manufacturer with the following information:

• Your contact information (address and phone numbers);
• The vehicle’s year, make, model and identification number (VIN);
• The current odometer reading; 
• The date the vehicle was originally delivered to you;
• Whether the vehicle was purchased or leased;
• The name and address of the selling or leasing dealer;
• The defect or condition;
• The facility at which repair attempts were made;
• The dates of repair; and
• That the defect or condition still exists.

The notice or letter must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the manufacturer at the address provided in the owner’s manual.  After the manufacturer signs for the certified letter acknowledging receipt, the Post Office will send you a green certification card which you should keep with your records.  The card will show the date the manufacturer was notified of your request for a final repair attempt.

The manufacturer has seven calendar days after receipt of your request to notify you of a reasonably accessible repair facility.  The manufacturer can respond in writing or by telephone, or may not respond at all. 

• If the manufacturer responds by telephone within the required seven-day time frame to notify you of a repair facility that you agree is reasonably accessible, note in your records the date of the phone call and the pertinent information. 
• If the manufacturer responds in writing to designate a repair facility that you agree is reasonably accessible, the postmark date governs whether the response is within the seven-day time requirement.

If the manufacturer designates a reasonably accessible repair facility by the seven-day deadline, you must deliver the vehicle to that facility.  Once you deliver your vehicle, the repair facility has 14 days to correct the defect. 

Important note to consumers with motor homes or conversion vans

If you are filing a claim for a motor home or a conversion van, you would also write such a letter or use the Notice to Manufacturer of Final Opportunity to Repair form.  Your request must be sent to all known manufacturers of the motor home or conversion van, including both the vehicle and the chassis, regardless of which manufacturer is responsible under the warranty for repairing the defect.  You should call the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs if you have any questions about this procedure.

 

   What to Do Next

If the manufacturer did not designate a repair facility within seven days, you will be deemed to have met the requirement for a final repair attempt.

• You may proceed to Step 3 if you have a leased vehicle. 
• If you purchased your vehicle, skip to Step 4.

If the manufacturer did designate a repair facility within seven days, and...

• The defect is corrected:  The Lemon Law process is complete at this stage, and you would not proceed further.
• The defect is not corrected after a final opportunity to repair:  You may continue to Step 3 if your vehicle is leased, or to Step 4 if you purchased the vehicle.
• The repair facility has not corrected the defect within 14 days:  You may continue to Step 3 if your vehicle is leased, or to Step 4 if you purchased the vehicle.

Remember, if the defect does not recur immediately but reappears at a later date, you may pick up at this point and go on to either Step 3 for a leased vehicle or Step 4 for a purchased vehicle.