When your car, truck, RV, or boat keeps going back for the same repair, you may have more options than another service appointment. LemonLink helps Tampa Bay drivers understand lemon and warranty laws, check recalls, and connect with a participating Tampa lemon law attorney, at no cost to you.
Patterns like this are worth a closer look.
Your vehicle has a defect that keeps coming back, or keeps it off the road.
Learn how Florida's Lemon Law and federal warranty law work, in plain English.
Share a few details. We connect you with a participating lemon law attorney.
The attorney reviews your situation and explains your options. You decide what to do.
Check anything that sounds familiar. This isn't a legal determination. It just shows the patterns attorneys usually ask about first.
A few minutes now can save a lot of back-and-forth later. Share what you know. "Not sure" is a perfectly good answer.
Thanks, there. A participating attorney will review what you shared and reach out, usually within one business day.
In the meantime, gather your repair orders, purchase or lease contract, and any messages with the dealer or manufacturer. Keep driving records and receipts for towing or rentals, too.
Check for open recallsRecall repairs are free at authorized dealers. A recall doesn't make a vehicle a lemon on its own, but a recall that doesn't fix the problem is worth writing down.
Florida's Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act (Chapter 681, Florida Statutes) covers new vehicles sold or leased in Florida that the manufacturer can't fix within a reasonable number of attempts.
Source: Chapter 681, Florida Statutes · Florida Attorney General Lemon Law Program
A vehicle may be presumed a lemon when a defect (the law calls it a "nonconformity") substantially impairs its use, value, or safety and the manufacturer hasn't fixed it after a reasonable number of attempts. That's generally presumed when, during the 24-month rights period:
Covered: new cars, trucks, SUVs and vans bought or leased in Florida, plus the chassis and drive train of motor homes.
Not covered: motorcycles, mopeds, off-road vehicles, trucks over 10,000 lbs., and the "living facilities" of RVs (flooring, plumbing, roof A/C, generator, and so on). Boats aren't covered either. Used vehicles are only covered if the original 24-month rights period hasn't run out.
Not covered by the Lemon Law? A written warranty may still give you rights under federal law. See the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
After the third attempt (or 15+ days in the shop), the owner sends the manufacturer written notice by registered or express mail. The manufacturer gets 10 days to respond and direct you to a repair facility, then 10 days after delivery (45 for motor homes) to make a final repair.
Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons claims run into trouble, so it's a good time to get guidance.
If the vehicle qualifies, the manufacturer must offer a refund (purchase price minus a reasonable offset for use) or a comparable replacement, plus reasonably incurred collateral and incidental charges. The consumer chooses: you can always pick the refund over a replacement.
Florida's New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board is run through the Attorney General's office. Arbitration generally has to be requested within 60 days after the rights period ends (or 30 days after a manufacturer's dispute program decides, whichever is later), and if the manufacturer has a state-certified dispute program, it usually has to be used first. With notices, programs and deadlines stacking up, this is where having a lemon law attorney in your corner pays off.
A consumer who prevails in court under Chapter 681 can recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs, which is why many lemon law attorneys don't charge upfront. Fee arrangements vary, so always ask.
Motor homes have a longer out-of-service threshold (60 days) and a longer final repair window (45 days). RV disputes go through a separate mediation and arbitration program the manufacturer must take part in, rather than the state board. Problems with the "living facilities" (the house part) aren't covered by the Lemon Law, but they're often covered by a written warranty.
Passed in 1975, this federal law (15 U.S.C. § 2301 and following) applies to consumer products sold with a written warranty. That includes vehicles the Florida Lemon Law doesn't reach: used cars, boats, motorcycles, and RV living quarters.
Engines that won't stay fixed, electrical failures, hull and gelcoat defects: if the boat, motor, or equipment came with a written warranty, Magnuson-Moss and Florida warranty law may give you options. Engines often carry their own separate warranty.
The chassis often falls under Florida's Lemon Law. The coach or "living facilities" (slide-outs, roof leaks, plumbing, generator) usually don't, but the RV maker's written warranty is covered by Magnuson-Moss. Towables like travel trailers can qualify too.
If the vehicle is still under a factory, certified pre-owned, or dealer-provided written warranty, the federal law may still help, even when the Florida Lemon Law window has closed. Motorcycles fall here too.
Sources: FTC: Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law · 15 U.S.C. Chapter 50
These are published decisions and public records, not results obtained by LemonLink or any attorney we work with. Every case turns on its own facts.
2020 Jaguar F-Pace. The infotainment system, which also ran the backup camera, was intermittently inoperable. The Board awarded a refund.
2022 Tesla Model Y. The owner reported roughly 100–150 miles of range against an advertised 330. The Board awarded a replacement vehicle.
2019 Nissan Pathfinder. The backup camera intermittently failed to work. The Board awarded a replacement vehicle.
2011 Jeep Wrangler with transmission, engine and exhaust problems after 16 repair attempts. The jury awarded $98,961, including a civil penalty. The court held that the owner's $19,000 trade-in credit didn't reduce what the manufacturer owed.
A lightly used 1988 BMW demonstrator with 7,565 miles and brakes that failed six repair attempts. Because it came with the remaining factory warranty, the court treated it like a new vehicle. The jury's $29,351 award plus a $58,702 civil penalty was affirmed.
in relief recovered for Florida consumers through the state's Lemon Law program since 1989, according to the Florida Attorney General (announced March 2024). Read the announcement
California cases are decided under California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, which differs from Florida law (Florida's Lemon Law doesn't provide the same civil penalty, for example). They're shown to illustrate how courts have approached common issues. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Lemon and warranty claims are built on records. Start a folder today, even if you're not sure what you'll do yet.
LemonLink is an advertising and attorney-matching service. Participating attorneys pay LemonLink to take part. That's what keeps the service free for you.
No. LemonLink is free for vehicle owners. Participating attorneys pay us to take part. Any fee arrangement for legal work is between you and the attorney, and you should get it in writing before hiring anyone.
Lemon and warranty claims come with notice letters, repair-attempt rules, and deadlines that are easy to miss. LemonLink makes the first step simple: one short form, and we connect you with a participating attorney who handles lemon law and warranty cases. It's free for you, and many lemon law attorneys don't charge upfront because the law can require the manufacturer to pay attorney's fees when a consumer prevails.
Possibly. Under Florida law, a used vehicle is covered only for whatever remains of the original 24-month rights period. After that, a factory, certified pre-owned, or dealer written warranty may still give you rights under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
Boats and motorcycles aren't covered by Florida's Lemon Law, and neither are the living areas of RVs. If they came with a written warranty, federal warranty law may still apply. See the Magnuson-Moss section above.
Not from us. We only share what you submit with the participating attorney we connect you with, so they can review your situation. We don't sell your information to dealers or manufacturers.
If it's unsafe, don't drive it. Have it towed to an authorized dealer and keep the receipt. Otherwise, keep taking it in for the same problem and make sure every visit ends with a repair order that describes your complaint in your words.
Yes, several. Florida's rights period is 24 months from delivery, and arbitration generally has to be requested within 60 days after that period ends. Warranty claims have their own time limits too. If you're close to any of them, reach out sooner rather than later.
Whether you bought in Tampa or anywhere in Florida, LemonLink can connect you with a participating lemon law attorney who handles cases in your area. When we connect you, we'll tell you where the attorney's office is located.
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties, and statewide across Florida.
Your link to lemon vehicle resources.