Wednesday, May 12, 1999
Senate rejects 'lemon' on title
BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — It may look like a lemon and drive like a lemon, but labeling a defective vehicle a lemon is too tart for Ohio senators.
Under a measure approved Tuesday on a largely party-line vote, the title of a defective vehicle would instead be stamped with the word buyback, meaning the original owner had returned it to the manufacturer.
Any dealer trying to sell a lemon also would be required to provide potential buyers with a sheet detailing the defects. Violators could face a $1,000 fine.
IT'S A LEMON IF...
|
A vehicle is considered a lemon in Ohio when:
• It's been in the shop for a total of 30 days in its first year or 18,000 miles.
• There have been three or more attempts to fix a recurring problem.
• There have been eight or more attempts to fix different problems that “impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle.”
• There has been one unsuccessful attempt to fix a problem that could cause death or serious injury. |
Majority Republicans argued the bill is a victory for consumers, since Ohio titles currently don't provide any information to indicate whether a vehicle is a lemon.
“This is another way to strengthen consumer protection in Ohio,” said sponsoring Sen. Scott Oelslager, R-Canton.
Democrats, though, said car buyers would find it easier to understand slang than the legalistic warning adopted by the Senate.
Unscrupulous dealers could swindle consumers by telling them the vehicle was returned because the first owner could not make loan payments, said Sen. Linda Furney, a Toledo Democrat who tried unsuccessfully to add the word lemon to the warning.
“Consumers will be worse off if this legislation doesn't identify a lemon for what it is,” Ms. Furney said.
While auto companies squeezed out any specific mention of lemons, they lost an attempt to give themselves one final chance to fix a defective vehicle before triggering the lemon law. Their representatives ended up in an unusual alliance with consumer groups opposing the bill.
Senators sent the bill to the House on a 20-13 vote, with Sen. Charles Horn, R-Kettering, joining Democrats in opposing it.
Senate President Richard Finan, R-Evendale, predicted the House will quickly pass the measure on to Gov. Bob Taft.
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