Thanks to our friends at Anapol Schwartz for providing this timely information.

With the recent spate of auto product recalls due to defective vehicle parts, many consumers are exploring the potential benefits of filing lemon law claims in order to receive a full refund or vehicle replacement. Although these claims are indeed helpful, they unfortunately cannot turn back time when an individual or group suffers injury or even death from a defective vehicle or unsafe auto part. No one can. However, a Pennsylvania auto accident lawyer may be able to help injury victims or surviving family members of auto accident victims obtain financial restitution from negligent auto manufacturers responsible for a defective or unsafe vehicle’s effects.

Ever since the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was enacted in 1966 (it is now coded as 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301) by the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 390 million cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, recreational vehicles, and 46 million tires, 42 million child safety seats, and 66 million pieces of motor vehicle equipment have been recalled in order to fix safety defects. One can only imagine just how many incidents of serious injury and wrongful death have been caused by auto parts that were recalled far too late.

The aftermath of an auto accident may be an overwhelming experience for those involved or injured. In determining an auto accident’s cause, auto defects or unsafe auto parts may be fully responsible, thus placing auto manufacturers in a position of legal accountability. If you believe that a safety defect or dangerous auto part contributed to your auto accident injuries, or the loss of a loved one, then claims may be filed against auto manufacturers to assist with financial hardships as well as pain and suffering brought on by the accident or wrongful death. To learn more about your legal options and rights, please contact the skilled Pennsylvania auto accident lawyers at Anapol Schwartz for a free consultation. Call 866-735-2792 or visit www.pa-auto-accidents.com for more information.

Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV recently reported that, for model years 2003 to 2008, Chevrolet ranked first in the number of registered lemon vehicles in Pennsylvania. As required by law, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation tracks all lemon cars, and Chevy had 789 lemons. Next up was Ford, with 714, followed by Dodge (315), Nissan (302), Suzuki (301), Jeep (286), Hyundai (278), Cadillac (264), Volkswagen (251), and GMC (224).

WTAE notes that the Department of Transportation doesn’t track lemon law cases that were settled, so the actually number of lemons is likely much higher. The report also pointed out that some would say that Chevrolet had the most lemons because it sells the most cars. This doesn’t necessarily hold water, though, since Toyota is the second highest seller, but ranked only eleventh on the list.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett successfully shut down a puppy breeder in Berks County who, according to the AG’s press release, “sold consumers puppies that were sick, had infectious diseases, congenital or genetic defects or were falsely represented as healthy dogs.”

The breeder, Traci Murai, also required people purchasing dogs to forfeit their rights under Pennsylvania’s Puppy Lemon Law.

The court order prohibits Murai from breeding and selling dogs in the state, and requires restitution and penalties of $25,000.

On October 17, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell signed a bill creating the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, a measure that’s long overdue and that should act as a model for other states around the country. Sponsored by Senator Robert Tomlinson, the new law requires home improvement contractors to register with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Consumers can call a toll-free number to check on the status of a contractor.

For work that costs more than $500, the law also mandates contracts that include an outline of the work, the completion timeline, and the total costs. The new law also has teeth: home improvement scams could be prosecuted as felonies, and sanctions are enhanced if the victim is 60 years old or older.

Tomlinson noted:

“In too many cases, an unethical operator will take a deposit and leave town, or do sub-par repairs and refuse to fix the job. Oftentimes, homeowners are left with empty wallets and no recourse. Scam artists often target senior citizens living on a fixed income, telling them they need work that is not necessary, or taking payment and never doing the work. My legislation will more strictly police home improvement contractors and give consumers more information before they hire a home repair operator.”

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently reported that the South Hills Area Council of Governments may have a lemon dump truck. Although the truck is almost five years old, it only has 6,000 miles on it and has had turbo engine problems two times each year. The paper reported that the government’s attorney was looking into the state’s lemon law for possible recourse. Since Pennsylvania lemon law only covers personal vehicles, that’s highly doubtful.

They probably do have a cause of action, though, under other state and federal laws.