Ohio’s Lemon Law protects you if you buy a new car but find that it has serious problems.

The law covers warranty issues that impair your personal car or truck’s use, value or safety, as long as those problems first occur and were reported within the vehicle’s first year or within 18,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Consumers have to give the manufacturer a chance to fix the problem before they can file a Lemon Law complaint.

The Lemon Law protects consumers when:

• A single attempt to fix a serious defect has failed.
• The vehicle is stuck in the shop for a cumulative total of at least 30 days during its first year or 18,000 miles.
• Three or more attempts have been made to correct a single problem, but the fixes fail or the problem recurs.
• Eight or more attempts have been made to fix different problems.

When you buy a new car:

• Read your owner's manual and have your car serviced as recommended. Failing to maintain your car could impact your ability to recover your money if your car is a lemon.
• Keep all warranty and repair orders. Each order should contain a fully itemized list of repairs, the cost of repairs and the length of time the car was in the shop. Check every work order you receive to make sure it includes all this information, even if the work was done under warranty.
• Write down your vehicle’s problems and defects. Give a copy of the list to the service person at the dealership. Each time you take your car in for a repair, describe any recurring problems the same way.