When you buy a new car, you expect that it will be in perfect condition. That’s the whole point of buying a new car, right? To 
have trouble-free transportation, at least for the first couple of years. However, from time to time, brand new cars have mechanical, fit-and-finish, and safety problems right off the assembly line. If you’re unlucky enough to get one of these cars, you may have a claim under Virginia’s lemon law to either get the car replaced or get a monetary refund. While lemon laws go a long way to protect consumers from losing money on poorly-manufactured vehicles, you’d still rather get a quality car to begin with. A good starting point could be to avoid the car models that rank the worst in initial quality.
2015 Cars Ranked Lowest in Initial Quality
For almost 30 years now, the marketing information services firm J.D. Power and Associates has conducted annual surveys of new car buyers to determine their satisfaction with their purchases. From this information, they release lists of the cars with the fewest complaints in the first 90 days of ownership, as well as those with the most complaints. While a consumer complaint does not indicate that a car is a lemon, keeping an eye on the makes and models that continually score low could help you avoid purchasing an unreliable car that could also be a lemon. In 2015, the cars with the most complaints include the following, with the number of complaints per 100 vehicles in parentheses:
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Fiat (206)
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Smart (154)
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Chrysler (143)
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Subaru (142)
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Jeep (141)
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Land Rover (134)
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Mitsubishi (126)
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Acura (126)
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Scion (124)
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Volkswagen (123)
The industry average for 2015 was 111 complaints per 100 vehicles. Some of the top brands reported in the survey were Porsche, Kia, and Jaguar. While the J.D. Power survey does not track actual repairs done at dealerships and owner complaints could just as easily refer to a minor issue with the radio controls as a major safety concern, these rankings could help you make a new car purchase that you will be happy with.
When You Are Not Happy, Call Us
In order for a vehicle to be considered a lemon, you have to have more than just an a few minor issues. If you are experiencing serious mechanical problems and are struggling to get the dealer to repair them, call our office. We can help you navigate Virginia’s lemon law.
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