My 2019 Chevy Equinox Broke Down The Day After I Bought It

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 54 – October 2022 | Shocked

Dear Suzanne, 

I am the owner of a 2019 Chevy Equinox that was purchased certified pre-owned. This car only had about 15,000 miles on it at the time of purchase, and it now has about 18,000 miles. 

I was happy with the purchase, but then literally the day after I bought it, it broke down. I have taken it in once to the Chevrolet dealership and this happened the second day I purchased the car. I hadn’t even owned the vehicle for a few days before it started giving me issues. How do you explain to me that a car I just purchased doesn’t work? 

The problem is that whenever I step on the gas, the car will skip and the engine transmission system will malfunction. They did not say if they were able to replicate the issues but they only looked at it for a short time before saying it was fixed. However, I don’t think they fully fixed it because the issue came up again the very next day. 

There’s also a delay when accelerating and I complained to them about this as well. Of course, I wasn’t charged for this first visit since it fell under the warranty. 

Currently, the dashboard says it has five new alerts. These alerts include the engine transmission system, the emission system, the anti-lock braking system, stability control, and the airbag system. Basically every system it has. It is ridiculous and unreal to hear that all these problems are affecting a recently-purchased car.

All these problems have been coming up for a while now, but I’ve not been able to take it in because the dealership said their schedule was filled up. But now, the dealer told me that I could book an appointment since their schedule is beginning to clear up. 

I did this and now, my second appointment is on the first. This time, I really hope they are able to offer a permanent solution to my car problems. 

I am not familiar with the way lemon law works, but a friend told me I should look into it. If possible, I would love to trade it in because I use my car for work so it’s not okay for me to be experiencing these sorts of issues. 

Shocked

Relatively Low Mileage But Too Many Defects

Dear Shocked,

So the way lemon law works is that in order for you to qualify, you need to have at least two visits done at the dealership regarding the same issues. You need that or three or more visits regarding different issues, all within your warranty period. 

Now, to be honest with you, these vehicles are known to be highly defective so with one visit to the dealer, you can get your case started. This is as long as you are still within your warranty period and are willing to take your car back to the dealership for any other issues that come up. Also, it is important to begin your case as soon as possible to avoid any pushback from the manufacturer. 

The good news about your case is that your vehicle is still at low miles and you are also covered by the warranty. Generally, there are two types of warranties for your vehicle and they are the basic and the powertrain. The basic warranty is for three years or 36,000 miles. This covers anything bumper-to-bumper including brakes, steering, and electrical issues. On the other hand, the powertrain warranty lasts for 60,000 miles or five years and covers any issues relating to transmission and engine. 

Since you are nowhere near any of these two warranties’ expiry dates, you can keep on taking your car in if it develops any faults. This is because the more visits you have, the stronger the case, the higher the value, and the more money you can win. Also, ensure that you get the proper documentation for each visit whether the dealer can replicate the issues or not. 

Among the options available to you, the first is buyback. This is basically where the manufacturers buy back the car from you and they pay you out everything you have paid towards the vehicle. This involves your monthly payments, your down payment, your taxes, and any interest accrued. Also, if you took out a loan on the vehicle, your manufacturer pays back the loan for you and your credit goes up. 

However, the only deduction that can be taken from the buyback is the mileage offset. This simply means that the manufacturers can charge you for the number of miles you drove the car without any problems. This mileage offset would be based on your mileage during your first visit. 

Now, since you took it to the dealership just two days after purchasing it, it really is not going to be any consequential amount. However, whether big or small, your attorney will try to waive it either in full or half considering they sold you a defective vehicle. 

The second option available to you is the cash and keep. With this option, you’re more than welcome to keep the vehicle while you receive cash compensation from the manufacturers for the issues you’ve experienced. The cash and keep option means that your warranty remains valid and if you later wish to sell your car, you can do so without labeling it a lemon to the next owner. 

There is also a third option which is the replacement option but I usually don’t advise that. This option allows you to swap your car with another vehicle of the same market value, but you risk receiving another defective vehicle as a replacement. 

Now, since you purchased your vehicle in California, it means your case will be taken on contingency. This means that you will not be charged any attorney fees because all of that is paid by the manufacturers. Not only that, 100% of the settlement will be going over to you. If you have any further questions, you can always reach out to your lawyer.

Suzanne

Free Legal Advice About Your 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 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 California Lemon Law or how to file a claim in California, please write to help@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 Lawyer to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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Featured Image:

• 2019 Chevrolet Equinox ©Kevauto (CC BY-SA 4.0 License)