- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation surveys car dealerships in the Commonwealth semi-annually to evaluate their compliance with the Massachusetts Lemon Laws. Massachusetts law mandates that Lemon Law stickers must be displayed on every vehicle for sale, new and used, at every Massachusetts auto dealership.
The Lemon Law is designed to protect consumers who purchase a new or used vehicle, only to later discover that the vehicle has a serious defect that cannot be repaired despite a reasonable number of attempts. Lemon Law stickers are important because they inform consumers of these protections with regard to a refund or replacement should their vehicle have a defect(s) that impacts their safety or their ability to drive it.
In spring 2019, inspectors visited 167 dealerships in 77 municipalities across the Commonwealth.
Our findings:
• 105 dealerships (63% of dealerships audited) achieved 100% compliance with the Lemon Laws. 100% compliance is defined as all vehicles having a Lemon Law sticker. The number of dealerships with 100% compliance increased from 54 in the fall 2018 audit to 105 in the spring 2019 audit.
• 31 dealerships (18% of dealerships audited) had 0% compliance. We define 0% compliance as fewer than 50% of the total number of vehicles audited at a dealership displayed stickers.
• 21 of the dealerships audited this spring were revisited again from last fall’s audit. 7 of these dealerships have shown an improvement in their compliance percentage.
When car shopping, check to see if Lemon Law stickers are on display and notify our Office as well as the local licensing authority if you visit a dealership that is not properly displaying Lemon Law stickers. It is important that consumers know their rights before making such a major purchase.
The full audit can be found on here. More information on the Lemon Laws for new and used cars can be found on our website: www.mass.gov/topics/lemon-laws
Additional information about private party sales, cars that fail inspection within the first 7 days of the date of purchase, and other auto resources can also be found on our website.
