Vermont’s lemon law is rather strange in that you will have a tremendous amount of trouble finding out anything about it from the state’s official Website. There’s a link that suggests that such a law exists, but if you are looking for information about it there, good luck.

The law seems to be an extension of the manufacturer’s express written warranty. As such, there is not stated time period for the law; it is in effect as long as your warranty is still in effect.

The lemon law covers any purchased or leased passenger vehicle weighing less than twelve thousand pounds gross weight. Exceptions are highway building equipment, motorcycles, mopeds, the living portions of motor homes, and snowmobiles.

An owner of a vehicle with a defect or nonconformity, which is usually defined as a problem which substantially affects the use, safety or value of the vehicle, may have his or her vehicle qualify as a lemon under the statute if the following requirements are met:

• The vehicle was purchased in Vermont.
• The vehicle is a qualifying vehicle (such as a car or light truck)
• The vehicle has been subject to at least three unsuccessful repair attempts and the problem still exists. At a minimum, at least the first repair attempt must have been made during the warranty period.
• As an alternative to the “three-times-out” repair qualification, a vehicle may also qualify if it has been out of service for a minimum of thirty days due to unsuccessful attempt to repair the vehicle.
• Owners of vehicles with fewer than three repair attempts may qualify if the problem is due to a safety problem, such as steering or braking.

The state of Vermont has an arbitration board of its own, consisting of five members, including an auto dealer and one auto mechanic as well as three people who have no involvement in the auto industry. A vehicle owner with a qualifying car may present his or her case to the board at a hearing, which the state holds twice a month. The board will listen to both sides of the argument and may issue a ruling of one of the following four types:

• 1. Rule in favor of the manufacturer
• 2. Dismiss the case.
• 3. Rule in favor of the owner, by declaring that the manufacturer must provide a comparable new replacement vehicle to the owner.
• 4. Rule in favor of the owner by declaring that the manufacturer must refund the purchase price, including all fees and taxes, less an adjustment for wear, tear, and miles driven.

A hearing will be held within 45 days of filing an application with the state. Once a hearing is completed, the results will be made known within 30 days.

Should the manufacturer offer its own arbitration program, the owner will have the option of pursuing relief through that program instead. Should he or she opt to seek relief through the manufacturer’s arbitration procedure, he or she will forfeit any opportunity to do so through the lemon law.

Some information regarding the Vermont lemon law can be found at the site of the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

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