New Jersey Lemon Law and breach of warranty cases have just gotten another boost, this time from a jury award in a class action case.  A New Jersey jury has just rendered a verdict against KIA Motors America, Inc., in the amount of $6,029,250 on behalf of a class of 8,039 New Jersey consumers.   The case is entitled Regina Little v. KIA Motors America, Inc., was filed and tried before the Superior Court of New Jersey in Union County.

The verdict was rendered on June 6, 2008, following a month-long trial in which the jurors found that there was a common defective design of the brake system of the 1995-2001 KIA Sephia.  The suit charged that the Sephia’s braking system didn’t adequately dissipate heat, causing pads and rotors to wear down at 10,000 mile intervals. In Kia’s own tests, the heat of the braking system was measured at 950 degrees, the plaintiffs alleged. Kia’s warranty didn’t cover brake components.  

The jury found that the automobile manufacturer breached its express and implied warranty to purchasers of the cars and violated the terms of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq., which governs warranties on consumer products and allows prevailing plaintiffs to recover reasonable costs of suit, including attorney fees.