10-1-780
This article shall be known and may be cited as the
"Motor Vehicle Warranty Rights Act."
10-1-781
The General Assembly recognizes that a new motor
vehicle is a major consumer purchase and that a
defective motor vehicle is likely to create hardship
for, or may cause injury to, the consumer. It is the
intent of the General Assembly to ensure that the
consumer is made aware of his or her rights under this
article. In enacting these comprehensive measures, it is
the intent of the General Assembly to create the proper
blend of private and public remedies necessary to
enforce this article.
10-1-782
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the
definitions in this Code section apply throughout this
article. As used in this article, the term:
(1) "Administrator" means the
administrator appointed pursuant to Code Section
10-1-395.
(2) "Collateral charges" means those
additional charges to a consumer or lessor wholly
incurred as a result of the acquisition purchase of
the motor vehicle. For the purposes of this article,
collateral charges include but are not limited to
manufacturer installed or dealer installed items or
service charges, earned finance charges incurred by
a consumer in the case of a purchase, and by the
lessor in the case of a lease, sales tax, and title
charges.
(3) "Consumer" means any person who has
entered into an agreement or contract for the
transfer, lease, or purchase of a new motor vehicle
primarily for personal, family, or household
purposes, regardless of how the documents
characterize the transaction. The term shall also
mean and include any sole proprietorship,
partnership, or corporation which is a commercial
owner or lessee of no more than three new motor
vehicles and which has ten or fewer employees and a
net income after taxes of $100,000.00 per annum or
less for federal income tax purposes. For the
limited purpose of enforcing the rights granted
under this article, the term "consumer" will also
include any person or entity regularly engaged in
the business of leasing new motor vehicles to
consumers.
(4) "Court" means the superior court in
the county where the consumer resides, except if the
consumer does not reside in this state, then the
superior court in the county where an arbitration
hearing or determination was conducted or made
pursuant to this article.
(5) "Distributor" means a person or entity
holding a distribution agreement with a manufacturer
for the distribution of new motor vehicles to new
motor vehicle dealers or who is licensed or
otherwise authorized to utilize trademarks or
service marks associated with one or more makes of
motor vehicles in connection with such distribution,
who is not responsible to the manufacturer for
honoring the manufacturer's express warranty, and
who does not issue an express warranty to consumers.
(6) "Express warranty" means a warranty
which is given by the manufacturer in writing.
(7) "Incidental costs" means any
reasonable expenses incurred by the consumer in
connection with the repair of the new motor vehicle,
including but not limited to payments to dealers for
attempted repairs of nonconformities, towing
charges, and the costs of obtaining alternative
transportation.
(8) "Informal dispute resolution
settlement mechanism" means any procedure
established, employed, utilized, or run by a
manufacturer for the purpose of resolving disputes
with consumers regarding any warranty.
(9) "Lemon law rights period" means the
period ending one year after the date of the
original delivery of a new motor vehicle to a
consumer or the first 12,000 miles of operation
after delivery of a new motor vehicle to a consumer,
whichever occurs first.
(10) "Manufacturer" means any person
engaged in the business of constructing or
assembling new motor vehicles or engaged in the
business of importing new motor vehicles into the
United States for the purpose of selling or
distributing new motor vehicles to new motor vehicle
dealers.
(11) "New motor vehicle" means any
self-propelled vehicle, primarily designed for the
transportation of persons or property over the
public highways, that was leased or purchased in
this state or registered by the original consumer in
this state and on which the original motor vehicle
title was issued to the lessor or purchaser without
having been previously issued to any person other
than the selling dealer. If the motor vehicle is a
motor home, this article shall apply to the
self-propelled vehicle and chassis, but does not
include those portions of the vehicle designated,
used, or maintained primarily as a mobile dwelling,
office, or commercial space. The term "new motor
vehicle" does not include motorcycles or trucks with
10,000 pounds or more gross vehicle weight rating.
The term "new motor vehicle" shall not include any
vehicle on which the title and other transfer
documents show a used, rather than new, vehicle. The
term "new motor vehicle" includes a demonstrator or
lease-purchase, as long as a manufacturer's warranty
was issued as a condition of sale, unless
specifically excluded under this definition.
(12) "New motor vehicle dealer" means a
person who holds a dealer agreement with a
manufacturer for the sale of new motor vehicles, who
is engaged in the business of purchasing, selling,
servicing, exchanging, leasing, distributing, or
dealing in new motor vehicles, or who is licensed or
otherwise authorized to utilize trademarks or
service marks associated with one or more makes of
motor vehicles in connection with such sales. For
the purposes of subsection (d) of Code Section
10-1-784, concerning private civil actions for
violations of this article, the term "new motor
vehicle dealer" shall include any person or entity
regularly engaged in the business of leasing new
motor vehicles to consumers.
(13) "Nonconformity" means a defect,
serious safety defect, or condition that
substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of a
new motor vehicle to the consumer, but does not
include a defect or condition that is the result of
abuse, neglect, or unauthorized modification or
alteration of the new motor vehicle.
(14) "Panel" means a new motor vehicle
arbitration panel as designated in Code Sections
10-1-786 and 10-1-794.
(15) "Purchase price" means in the case of
a sale of a new motor vehicle to a consumer the cash
price of the new motor vehicle appearing in the
sales agreement, contract, or leasing agreement,
including any reasonable allowance for a trade-in
vehicle. In determining whether the trade-in
allowance was reasonable, the panel may take into
account whether the purchase price of the vehicle
was at fair market value or not and make appropriate
adjustments to ensure that the consumer is made
whole but not unjustly enriched. In the case of a
consumer lease of a new motor vehicle, "purchase
price" means the cash price paid by the lessor to a
dealer or distributor to purchase the new motor
vehicle.
(16) "Reasonable offset for use" means an
amount directly attributable to use by the consumer
before the consumer requests repurchase or
replacement by the manufacturer pursuant to Code
Section 10-1-784. The reasonable offset for use
shall be computed by the number of miles that the
vehicle traveled before the consumer's request of
repurchase or replacement multiplied by the purchase
price and divided by 100,000.
(17) "Reasonable number of attempts" under
the lemon law rights period means the definition as
provided in Code Section 10-1-784.
(18) "Replacement motor vehicle" means a
new motor vehicle that is identical or reasonably
equivalent to the motor vehicle to be replaced, as
the motor vehicle to be replaced existed at the time
of purchase or lease.
(19) "Serious safety defect" means a
life-threatening malfunction or nonconformity.
(20) "Substantially impair" means to
render the new motor vehicle unreliable, or unsafe
for ordinary use, or to diminish the resale value of
the new motor vehicle more than a meaningful amount
below the average resale value for comparable motor
vehicles.
(21) "Warranty" means any express written
warranty of the manufacturer but shall not include
any extended coverage purchased by the consumer as a
separate item.
10-1-783
(a) Each new motor vehicle dealer shall
provide an owner's manual which shall be published
by the manufacturer and include a list of the
addresses and phone numbers at which consumers may,
at no cost, contact the manufacturer's customer
service personnel who are authorized to direct
activities regarding repair of the consumer's
vehicle.
(b) At the time of purchase, the new motor
vehicle dealer shall provide the consumer with a
written statement that explains the consumer's
rights under this article. The statement shall be
written by the administrator and shall contain
information regarding the procedures and remedies
under this article.
(c) For the purposes of this article, if a
new motor vehicle has a nonconformity and the
consumer reports the nonconformity during the lemon
law rights period to the manufacturer, its agent, or
the new motor vehicle dealer who sold the new motor
vehicle, the vehicle shall be repaired at the
manufacturer's expense to correct the nonconformity
regardless of whether such repairs are made after
the expiration of the lemon law rights period. If in
any subsequent proceeding under this article it is
determined that the consumer's repair did not
qualify under this article, and the manufacturer was
not otherwise obligated to repair the vehicle, the
consumer shall be liable to the manufacturer for the
costs of the repair.
(d) Upon request from the consumer, the
manufacturer or new motor vehicle dealer shall
provide a copy of any report or computer reading
compiled by the manufacturer's field or zone
representative regarding inspection, diagnosis, or
test-drive of the consumer's new motor vehicle.
(e) Each time the consumer's vehicle is
returned from being diagnosed or repaired under the
lemon law rights period or under a warranty, the new
motor vehicle dealer shall provide to the consumer a
fully itemized, legible statement or repair order
indicating any diagnosis made, and all work
performed on the vehicle, including but not limited
to a general description of the problem reported by
the consumer or an identification of the defect or
condition, parts and labor, the date and the
odometer reading when the vehicle was submitted for
repair, and the date when the vehicle was made
available to the consumer.
(f) No manufacturer, its agent, or new
motor vehicle dealer may refuse to diagnose or
repair any nonconformity for the purpose of avoiding
liability under this article.
(g) The lemon law rights period and 30 day
out-of-service period shall be extended by any time
that repair services are not available to the
consumer as a direct result of a strike, war,
invasion, fire, flood, or other natural disaster.
10-1-784
(a)
(1) If the manufacturer, its agent, or
the new motor vehicle dealer is unable to repair
or correct any nonconformity in a new motor
vehicle after a reasonable number of attempts,
the consumer shall notify the manufacturer by
certified mail, return receipt requested, at the
address provided by the manufacturer. The
manufacturer shall, within seven days after
receipt of such notification, notify the
consumer of a reasonably accessible repair
facility and after delivery of the vehicle to
the designated repair facility by the consumer,
the manufacturer shall, within 14 days, conform
the motor vehicle to the warranty. If the
manufacturer is unable to repair or correct any
nonconformity of the new motor vehicle, the
manufacturer shall, within 30 days of the
consumer's written request, by certified mail,
return receipt requested, at the option of the
consumer, or the lessor in the event of a leased
motor vehicle, replace or repurchase the new
motor vehicle. If the manufacturer fails to
notify the consumer of a reasonably accessible
repair facility or perform the repairs within
the time periods prescribed in this subsection,
the requirement that the manufacturer be given a
final attempt to cure the nonconformity does not
apply.
(2) If a lessor elects replacement,
the contractual obligation, except for those
terms of the agreement which identify the
vehicle, between the lessor and the consumer
shall not be altered. If a lessor elects
repurchase, it shall return to the consumer a
sum equal to the allowance for any trade-in, and
down payment or initial balloon payment, made by
the consumer, and all future obligations of the
consumer to the lessor shall cease. In the event
a lessor elects to require the manufacturer to
repurchase a leased vehicle, the consumer will
remain liable for all lease obligations arising
prior to the date that the lessor elects such
replacement, but will have no future obligations
under the lease, and will be liable for no
penalty for early termination. A lessor must
elect either a repurchase or replacement within
30 days of receiving written notice from the
consumer that such an election is desired; if
the lessor fails to make such an election within
the 30 days, the consumer may make the election
to repurchase or replace and the lessor shall be
bound by the consumer's election.
(3) The replacement motor vehicle
shall be identical or reasonably equivalent to
the motor vehicle to be replaced. Such
replacement shall include payment of all
collateral charges which the consumer or lessor
will incur a second time which would not have
been incurred again except for the replacement,
and any and all incidental costs incurred by the
consumer or lessor. In the case of a replacement
motor vehicle, the reasonable offset for use
shall be paid by the consumer to the
manufacturer. Compensation for a reasonable
offset for use shall be paid by the consumer to
the manufacturer in the event that a replacement
motor vehicle is elected. In the case of a lease
where the consumer either has no option to
purchase the motor vehicle at the end of the
lease term, or the consumer has an option to
purchase the motor vehicle at the end of the
lease term but does not exercise the option, the
lessor shall refund to the consumer the lesser
of
(A) the offset for use paid by the
consumer to the manufacturer at the time of
delivery of the replacement vehicle, or
(B) the gain realized by the lessor by
reason of the difference, if any, between
the anticipated residual value of the
original motor vehicle as determined at the
inception of the lease and the realized
value of the replacement motor vehicle at
the end of the lease. If the lessor does not
realize any gain from the disposition of the
replacement vehicle, there will be no refund
due to the consumer from the lessor.
The foregoing rules apply only to leases
where the consumer performs all of the
consumer's obligations under the lease agreement
and the lease terminates upon the scheduled
expiration of the lease term as set forth in the
lease agreement or any mutually agreed upon
extension of the lease term. The administrator
may provide by rule under Chapter 13 of Title
50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act,"
for determining the manner of calculating the
amount of any further charges or refunds that
may apply in the case of leases terminated
prematurely either by the voluntary election of
the parties, or involuntarily by the lessor in
the event of the lessee's default, the loss or
destruction of the vehicle, or for any other
reason.
(4) When repurchasing the new motor
vehicle, the manufacturer shall refund to the
consumer all collateral charges and incidental
costs. In the event of a repurchase, purchase
price refunds shall be made to the consumer and
lien holder of record, if any, as his or her
interests may appear, less a reasonable offset
for use. In the event of a lease, purchase price
refunds shall be made to the lessor, less a
reasonable offset for use. If it is determined
that the lessee is entitled to a refund, the
consumer's lease agreement with the lessor shall
be terminated upon payment of the refund and no
penalty for early termination shall be assessed.
(b) A reasonable number of attempts shall
be presumed as a matter of law to have been
undertaken by the manufacturer, its agent, or the
new motor vehicle dealer to repair or correct any
nonconformity of a new motor vehicle, if:
(1) a serious safety defect in the braking or
steering system has been subject to repair at
least once during the lemon law rights period
and has not been corrected;
(2) during any period of 24 months or less,
or during any period in which the vehicle has
been driven 24,000 miles or less, whichever
occurs first, any other serious safety defect
has been subject to repair two or more times, at
least one of which is during the lemon law
rights period, and the nonconformity continues
to exist;
(3) during any period of 24 months or less or
during any period in which the vehicle has been
driven 24,000 miles or less, whichever occurs
first, the same nonconformity has been subject
to repair, three or more times, at least one of
which is during the lemon law rights period, and
the nonconformity continues to exist; or
(4) during any period of 24 months or less or
during any period in which the vehicle has been
driven 24,000 miles or less, whichever occurs
first, the vehicle is out of service by reason
of repair of one or more nonconformities for a
cumulative total of 30 calendar days, at least
15 of them during the lemon law rights period.
If less than 15 days remain under the lemon law
rights period when the new motor vehicle is
first brought in for diagnosis or repair, the
lemon law rights period as regards the problem
to be diagnosed or repaired shall be extended
for a period of 90 days.
(c) For purposes of this article, the
lemon law rights period regarding nonconformities on
all new motor vehicles sold in this state shall be
for 12 months following the purchase of the vehicle
or for 12,000 miles following the purchase of the
vehicle, whichever occurs first.
(d) This article shall not create and
shall not give rise to any cause of action against
and shall not impose any liability upon any new
motor vehicle dealer or distributor except as
provided in this Code section. No new motor vehicle
dealer or distributor shall be held liable by the
manufacturer or by the consumer for any collateral
charges, damages, costs, purchase price refunds, or
vehicle replacements, and manufacturers and
consumers shall not have a cause of action against a
new motor vehicle dealer or distributor under this
article. A violation of any duty or responsibility
imposed upon a new motor vehicle dealer or
distributor under this article shall constitute a
per se violation of Code Section 10-1-393; provided,
however, that enforcement against such violations
shall be by public enforcement by the administrator
and shall not be enforceable through private
enforcement under the provisions of Code Section
10-1-399, except that a knowing violation of Code
Section 10-1-785 shall be enforceable through
private enforcement under the provisions of Code
Section 10-1-399.The provisions of Code Sections
11-2-602 through 11-2-609 shall not apply to the
sale of a new motor vehicle if the consumer seeks to
use the remedies provided for in this article. A
consumer shall be deemed to have used the remedies
provided for in this article when he or she
completes, signs, and returns forms prescribed by
the administrator for the submission of disputes to
an informal dispute resolution settlement mechanism
or to a panel, whichever occurs first. Such forms
shall contain a conspicuous statement clearly
advising the consumer of the rights the consumer is
waiving by participating in the procedures under
this article. A consumer may not use the remedies
provided for in this article if the consumer has
already sought to use the remedies provided for in
Code Sections 11-2-602 through 11-2-609, unless the
nonconformity did not exist or was not known at the
time of using the remedies provided for in such Code
sections. Manufacturers and consumers may not make
new motor vehicle dealers or distributors parties to
arbitration panel proceedings or any other
proceedings under this article. The provisions of
this article shall not impair any obligation under
any manufacturer-dealer franchise agreement or
manufacturer-distributor agreement; provided,
however, that any provision of any
manufacturer-dealer franchise agreement or
manufacturer-distributor agreement which attempts to
shift any duty, obligation, responsibility, or
liability imposed upon a manufacturer by this
article to a new motor vehicle dealer or
distributor, either directly or indirectly, shall be
void and unenforceable, except for any liability
imposed upon a manufacturer by this article which is
directly caused by the gross negligence of the
dealer in attempting to repair the motor vehicle
after such gross negligence has been determined by
the hearing officer, as provided in Article 22 of
this chapter, the "Georgia Motor Vehicle Franchise
Practices Act."
10-1-785
(a) No manufacturer or other transferor
shall knowingly resell, either at wholesale or
retail, lease, transfer a title, or otherwise
transfer, except to sell for scrap, any motor
vehicle which has been determined to have a serious
safety defect by reason of a determination,
adjudication, or settlement decision pursuant to
this article or similar statute of any other state,
unless the serious safety defect has been corrected;
the manufacturer warrants in writing upon the
resale, transfer, or lease that the defect has been
corrected; and the transferor provides the
manufacturer's written warranty under this Code
section to the consumer.
(b) After replacement or repurchase
pursuant to this article of a motor vehicle with a
nonconformity, other than a serious safety defect,
which has not been corrected, the manufacturer shall
notify the administrator, by certified mail, upon
receipt of the manufacturer's motor vehicle. If such
nonconformity is corrected, the manufacturer shall
notify the administrator in the same manner of such
correction. If the two events described in this
subsection occur within 30 days of one another, both
notices may be combined into the same notice.
(c) Upon the resale, either at wholesale
or retail, lease, transfer of title, or other
transfer of a motor vehicle with a nonconformity,
other than a serious safety defect, which has not
been corrected and which was previously returned
after a final determination, adjudication, or
settlement under this article or under a similar
statute of any other state, the manufacturer shall
execute and deliver to the transferee before
transfer to a consumer an instrument in writing
setting forth information identifying the
nonconformity in a manner to be specified by the
administrator; the transferor shall deliver the
instrument to the consumer before transfer.
(d) Upon the resale, either at wholesale
or retail, lease, transfer of title, or other
transfer of a motor vehicle found to have a
nonconformity under this article which has been
corrected, the manufacturer shall warrant in writing
on forms prescribed by the administrator upon the
transfer that the nonconformity has been corrected,
and the manufacturer, its agent, the new motor
vehicle dealer, or other transferor shall execute
and deliver to the transferee before transfer an
instrument in writing setting forth information
identifying the nonconformity and indicating in a
manner to be specified by the administrator that it
has been corrected and providing an express
manufacturer's warranty on the vehicle regarding the
nonconformity for 12 months or 12,000 miles,
whichever occurs first.
(e) For purposes of this Code section, the
term "settlement" includes an agreement entered into
between the manufacturer and the consumer that
occurs after the dispute has been submitted to an
informal dispute resolution settlement mechanism or
has been deemed eligible by the administrator for
arbitration before a panel.
10-1-786
(a) As provided in Code Section 10-1-794,
the administrator may establish a new motor vehicle
arbitration panel or panels to settle disputes
between consumers and manufacturers as provided in
this article. The panels shall not be affiliated
with any manufacturer or new motor vehicle dealer
and shall have available the services of persons
with automotive technical expertise to assist in
resolving disputes under this article.
(b) The administrator may adopt rules
under Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia
Administrative Procedure Act," for the uniform
conduct of arbitrations by panels and by informal
dispute resolution settlement mechanisms under this
article, which rules may include, but not be limited
to, the following:
(1) Procedures regarding presentation
of oral and written testimony, witnesses and
evidence relevant to the dispute,
cross-examination of witnesses, and
representation by counsel. The administrator
shall provide by rule for oral hearings, when
appropriate, in panel or informal dispute
resolution settlement mechanism proceedings;
(2) Procedures for production of
records and documents requested by a party which
the panel finds are reasonably related to the
dispute;
(3) Procedures for issuance of
subpoenas on behalf of the panel by the
administrator, which shall be enforced by the
superior courts as in Code Section 10-1-398;
(4) Procedures regarding written
affidavits from employees and agents of a
dealer, a manufacturer, any party, or from other
potential witnesses and the consideration of
such affidavits by a panel; and
(5) Records of panel proceedings and
hearings shall be open to the public.
(c) A consumer shall exhaust any certified
informal dispute resolution settlement procedure
under Code Section 10-1-793 and the new motor
vehicle arbitration panel remedy before filing any
superior court action pursuant to Code Section
10-1-788.
(d) The administrator may adopt rules
under Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia
Administrative Procedure Act," to implement this
article. Such rules may include uniform standards by
which the panel and any informal dispute resolution
settlement mechanism under Code Section 10-1-793
shall make determinations under this article,
including but not limited to rules which may provide
for:
(1) Determining that a nonconformity
exists;
(2) Determining that a reasonable
number of attempts to repair a nonconformity
have been undertaken; or
(3) Determining that a manufacturer
has failed to comply with Code Section 10-1-784.
10-1-787
(a) A consumer shall request arbitration
under this article by submitting a request in
writing to the administrator. Except as otherwise
provided in this article, disputes under the lemon
law rights period shall be eligible for arbitration.
The administrator shall make a reasonable
determination of the eligibility of the request for
arbitration and may provide necessary information to
the consumer regarding the consumer's rights and
remedies under this article. The administrator may
adopt rules under Chapter 13 of Title 50, the
"Georgia Administrative Procedure Act," regarding
the eligibility of requests for arbitration. The
administrator shall assign a dispute he deems
eligible to a panel.
(b) Manufacturers shall submit to
arbitration under this article if the consumer's
dispute is deemed eligible for arbitration by the
administrator and by the panel.
(c) The new motor vehicle arbitration
panel may reject for arbitration any dispute that it
determines to be frivolous, fraudulent, filed in bad
faith, res judicata, or beyond its authority. Any
dispute deemed by the panel to be ineligible for
arbitration due to insufficient evidence may be
reconsidered by the panel upon the submission of
other information or documents regarding the dispute
that would allegedly qualify for relief under this
article. Following a second review, the panel may
reject the dispute for arbitration if evidence is
still clearly insufficient to qualify the dispute
for relief under this article. The administrator may
adopt rules under Chapter 13 of Title 50, the
"Georgia Administrative Procedure Act," governing
rejection of disputes by a panel. A decision to
reject any dispute for arbitration shall be sent by
certified mail, return receipt requested, to the
consumer and the manufacturer.
(d) An arbitration panel shall award the
remedies under Code Section 10-1-784 if it finds a
nonconformity and that a reasonable number of
attempts have been undertaken to correct the
nonconformity. The panel may in its discretion award
attorney's fees and technical or expert witness
costs to a consumer.
(e) It is an affirmative defense to any
claim under this article that:
(1) the alleged nonconformity does not
substantially impair the use, value, or safety
of the new motor vehicle to the consumer; or
(2) the alleged nonconformity is the
result of abuse, neglect, or unauthorized
modifications or alterations of the new motor
vehicle.
(f) The panel's decision shall be sent by
certified mail, return receipt requested, to the
consumer. The consumer must reject the decision in
writing by certified mail, return receipt requested,
addressed to the panel within 30 days of receipt of
the panel's decision, or he or she shall be deemed
to have accepted the panel's decision. The panel
shall immediately notify the manufacturer by
certified mail, return receipt requested, whether
the consumer has accepted, rejected, or has been
deemed to have accepted.
(g) Upon receipt of the panel's notice,
the manufacturer shall have 40 calendar days to
comply with the arbitration panel decision or to
file a petition of appeal in superior court. At the
time the petition of appeal is filed, the
manufacturer shall send, by certified mail, a
conformed copy of such petition to the
administrator.
(h) If, at the end of the 40 calendar day
period, neither compliance with nor a petition to
appeal the panel's decision has occurred, the
administrator may impose a fine of up to $1,000.00
per day until compliance occurs or until a maximum
penalty of double the value of the vehicle or
$100,000.00, whichever is less, accrues. If the
manufacturer can provide clear and convincing
evidence either that any delay or failure was beyond
its control, or that any delay was acceptable to the
consumer, the fine shall not be imposed. If the
manufacturer fails to provide such evidence or fails
to pay the fine, the administrator may initiate
proceedings against the manufacturer for failure to
pay any accrued fine and may initiate proceedings on
behalf of the state to require specific performance
of an arbitration decision under this article. The
administrator shall deposit any fines in the state
treasury.
10-1-788
(a) After the manufacturer has received
notice of the consumer's acceptance or rejection,
the consumer or the manufacturer shall have 40 days
to request a trial de novo of the arbitration
decision in superior court.
(b) If the manufacturer appeals, the court
may require the manufacturer to post security for
the consumer's financial loss due to the passage of
time for review.
(c) If the manufacturer appeals and the
consumer prevails, recovery may include the monetary
value of the award, collateral charges, continuing
incidental costs, if any, and attorney's fees and
costs.
10-1-789
(a) Effective July 1, 1990, a fee of $3.00
shall be collected by the new motor vehicle dealer
from the consumer at completion of a sale or a lease
of each new motor vehicle. The fee shall be
forwarded quarterly to the Office of Planning and
Budget for deposit in the new motor vehicle
arbitration account created in the state treasury.
The first quarterly payments are due and payable on
October 1, 1990, and shall be mailed by the dealer
not later than October 10; thereafter, all payments
are due and payable the first of the month in each
quarter and shall be mailed by the dealer not later
than the tenth day of such month. Moneys in the
account shall be used for the purposes of this
article, subject to appropriation. Funds in the new
motor vehicle arbitration account shall be
transferred to the general treasury at the end of
each fiscal year. One dollar of each fee collected
shall be retained by the dealer to cover
administrative costs.
(b) At the end of each fiscal year, the
administrator shall prepare a report listing the
annual revenue generated and the expenses incurred
in implementing and operating the arbitration
program under this chapter. The Office of Planning
and Budget shall provide the administrator with the
figures regarding revenue generated.
(c) It is the intent of the General
Assembly that any consumer who, on or after July 1,
1990, but prior to January 1, 1991, pays or should
have paid the fee designated in this Code section
shall be entitled to utilize the remedies provided
in Code Sections 10-1-786, 10-1-787, and 10-1-788 in
addition to any other remedies which exist in law or
in equity regarding defective automobiles,
notwithstanding the effective dates of this article
or the effective dates of any provisions of this
article.
10-1-790
A violation of this article, or any failure of any
person, including a manufacturer or its agents, to honor
any express warranty, automotive or otherwise, issued by
that person, regardless of whether or not such warranty
was purchased as a separate item by the consumer and
regardless of whether or not any dispute under the
warranty is deemed eligible for arbitration under this
article, shall constitute an unfair and deceptive act or
practice and a consumer transaction under Part 2 of
Article 15 of this chapter. In determining whether there
is an unfair and deceptive act or practice under this
Code section, the principles in this article regarding a
reasonable number of attempts may serve as guidelines.
All public and private remedies provided under Part 2 of
Article 15 of this chapter shall be available to enforce
this article, subject to the affirmative defenses
provided in Code Section 10-1-787, and except as
provided in Code Section 10-1-784.
10-1-791
Any agreement entered into by a consumer for the
purchase of a new motor vehicle that waives, limits, or
disclaims the rights set forth in this article shall be
void as contrary to public policy. Said rights shall
extend to a subsequent transferee of a new motor
vehicle.
10-1-792
Nothing in this article shall limit anyone from
pursuing other rights or remedies under any other law,
except as otherwise provided in this article.
certified procedure no later than 60 days after the
expiration of the Lemon Law rights period. If a decision
is not rendered by the certified procedure within 40
days of filing, the consumer may apply to the division
to have the dispute removed to the board for
arbitration.