Commercial Vehicles in PA

The Pennsylvania Lemon Law protects purchasers of defective vehicles in PA. There is a caveat to the law, though, in that only vehicles which are used for "personal use" are covered under the law.

"Personal use" includes transportation, family use and non-commercial activities. Unfortunately, for commercial vehicles such as the contractor's pick-up truck, the utility truck, or the station's delivery vehicle, there is no coverage under the PA Lemon Law.

The Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, otherwise known as the federal lemon law, contains the same "personal use" provision.

This does not mean that you do not have a claim if you have purchased a defective vehicle. There is another law known as the Uniform Commercial Code which provides protections and remedies to those who have purchased defective commercial vehicles. Of course, you could always bring a claim under a simple breach of contract theory.

The negative aspect to the Uniform Commercial Code and a claim brought under a breach of contract theory is that there is no provision for recovery of your attorney fees, like there is in the PA Lemon Law and the Magnuson Moss Act. This means that you will likely have to pay a retainer to an attorney to institute such a claim on your behalf.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have about Commercial Vehicles and the Pennsylvania Lemon Law or any other defective automobile related issue at 1-888-LEMON-44 or via email to Attorney Greg Artim