Avoiding buying a lemon is not always easy

Because buying a vehicle is a major step, many California consumers will shop around and do their research before making a decision. They may look at safety ratings, costs, reviews and other information before moving forward with such a purchase. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts at avoiding buying a lemon, some vehicles can develop problems over time that pose serious concerns.

It was recently reported that General Motors has issued a recall of approximately 3.5 million vehicles. The vehicles are specifically SUVs and pickup trucks manufactured between 2014 and 2018. The issue affects the braking ability of the vehicles, which can pose serious safety issues. In fact, the issue has resulted in 113 accidents and 13 injuries that have been reported.

These vehicles have powered brake-assist systems that make it easier for drivers to stop their vehicles. A problem with these systems is causing the brakes to be more difficult to use over time, which means that it could take drivers longer than they expected to stop. GM stated that a repair is available for the issue and that vehicle owners can receive a reprogramming of the braking software for free.

Learning that a serious issue has resulted in a new vehicle can be frustrating for California consumers. Beyond that, they may find that the fix for their vehicles is not as easy as they have been led to believe, and they may have ended up buying a lemon. Fortunately, if vehicle owners believe that they are in this type of situation, they have options for filing a claim under the state's lemon laws to address the issue.