2019 Maserati Ghibli Not as Picture Perfect as Expected

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 12 – May 2022 | Fuming in Fairfax

2019 Maserati Ghibli Engine & Electrical Problems

Dear Suzanne,

I have a 2019 Maserati Ghibli that I leased back in November of 2019. It now has 18,741 miles on it. Two months after I got my car, I had to take it to the dealership because the lights started going off and there were problems with the engine. Then, a month after I got it back, I had to take it back to the dealership, where they replaced the motor. In the first three months of owning the car, I had to have the engine replaced and a bunch of electrical work done,

 
During the year, I took it to two different dealerships because of a purge valve causing issues. A purge valve prevents gas fumes from escaping the vehicle, and because of these defective valves, I failed emissions testing several times. All six of the valves were defective and needed to be fixed.

This seemed to fix the problem, and I was finally able to pass emissions testing. But then, a week later, it began making the same clicking noise, and I had to take it back to have the valves looked at again.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, I had to take it to the dealership because the engine was burning oil and the transmission had begun acting up, making a grinding noise. Sometimes, it refuses to switch out of reverse, so now I’ve taken to parking so that I don’t need to back up and deal with the reverse issues. 

For a car that is only three years old and has less than 20,000 miles on it, these issues seem extreme and pretty ridiculous. I still have about a year and a half left on my lease agreement, and when I spoke with the dealership, they suggested switching to a different Maserati. To be honest though, I don’t want another vehicle with the same problems, and I certainly never want to drive a Maserati again. Do I have to just wait it out, or is there another course of action I can take?

Fuming in Fairfax

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Probably a Lemon, You Should Have Filed Your Claim Earlier

Dear Fuming,

I’m sorry to hear you’ve had to go through such an aggravating experience, especially when your Maserati would’ve qualified as a lemon early on, and could have saved you a bit of a headache.

When you first purchase or lease a new vehicle, there’s a period of time known as the Lemon Law Presumption window. This states that if, during the first 18 months or 18,000 miles of your vehicle’s life it meets any ONE of the following conditions, it can automatically be presumed to be a defective lemon:

• At least two repairs were made to your vehicle for a critical safety defect that may cause serious bodily injury or death; 
• At least four repairs were done on your vehicle for a singular defect that is deemed a non-serious safety defect or issue;
• The vehicle was kept in the repair shop and out of service for at least 30 days (cumulative) for any combination of defects or issues. 

Even though you’ve passed that 18 month window, your Maserati would still qualify as a lemon, due to the number of times you’ve allowed the dealership to attempt to fix these defects. While we might like to think the dealership can fix everything, it’s best not to wait too long on these sorts of issues, or else you may end up stuck with a lemon. 

Your Settlement Options

Now, since you would definitely qualify for lemon law compensation. Let’s discuss the options you have. There are three outcomes for a successful lemon law case: a vehicle buyback, cash and keep, and a replacement vehicle. Since you don’t want to deal with this manufacturer any longer, and it’s probably more problems will keep cropping up as the vehicle ages, I would recommend against the replacement or the cash and keep. Instead, you should opt for a vehicle buyback.

A buyback is when the manufacturer repurchases the vehicle from you, essentially reimbursing you for all the money you’ve invested in the vehicle, such as down payments, monthly payments, taxes, fees, etc. The only amount they can deduct is something called the Mileage Offset, which accounts for the miles driven before the issues began. Both fortunately, and unfortunately, for you, those problems began very early on, so that amount would be rather low, and a skilled lemon law attorney would do their best to have that amount waived or reduced. 

>> Read more about the Maserati Lemon Law buyback settlement option, how it works, eligibility criteria, affected models, common defects, and case examples.

So, don’t listen to what the dealership has to say about putting you in another vehicle, that’s just going to trade one problem for another. Instead, begin gathering up documentation from each of your repair visits. Once you have it all in hand, you need to call a knowledgeable lemon law attorney who will be able to guide you through the process and get this issue resolved once and for all.

Suzanne

Free Legal Advice About Your 2019 Maserati Ghibli Lemon Law Claim

Dear reader, are your vehicle problems ruining your life? Confused about what legal route to take? We’re here to help! Find information about California’s lemon law protections here, fill out the form on this page, or give us a call at (323) 553-7525 to discuss your situation with someone who understands how frustrating it can be to have a lemon car, and what to do about it.

DEAR SUZANNE is a weekly column written by Suzanne Henderson and published in LemonLawyers.ORG. If you have a defective lemon vehicle and have questions about CA Lemon Law or how to file a claim in California, please write to dearsuzanne@lemonlawyers.org. While not guaranteed, we will try to feature your letter in this column to provide you the answers you need, as well as enlighten other consumers who may have lemon problems similar to yours.

Disclaimer: Suzanne Henderson is not a lawyer and the points discussed here are intended for general information and reference purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a California lemon law attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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