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What makes a car a lemon?

We get bombarded with emails asking us what makes a car a lemon, as our visitors see this term all the time and are not quite sure what it means exactly. However, it's a pretty basic concept.

A lemon car is basically a vehicle with persistent mechanical problems. Another term used is manufacturer buyback, meaning the manufacturer has repurchased this problem vehicle. This status is then recorded in the state DMV records.

A lemon check, which is one of the many parts of the Auto History Report, is therefore a check into the vehicle's history to see if this vehicle was ever deemed a lemon, i.e. a car with very serious mechanical problems that cannot be fixed.

A lemon vehicle should be avoided at all costs. Just like with any other product, a refrigerator, a lawn mower, a washing machine, due to issues outside of the control of the manufacturer, some of these products don't perform the way they should or are intended. It could be due to any number of reasons, but most of the time the manufacturer does know know why it occured, or what can be done to avoid the problem in the future.

So the lemon vehicle is returned, and the purchaser is provided with a replacement vehicle. The process is a little easier with a new vehicle, but the buyer of a used lemon has the same rights. You just might have to jump through a few more hoops to get a resolution.

So now you know what makes a car a lemon...to find out if the one you're looking it is, just enter the VIN below:
Enter your 17-digit VIN below to check if your vehicle is a lemon:
VIN:



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more than what makes a car a lemon on our Car Detective Vehicle History Report home page

Your report will include:

Hidden Problems:
Collision Damage
Odometer Fraud
Multiple Owners
Fire Damage
Mechanical Problems
Insurance Loss
Stolen Vehicle
many more..

Vehicle Data:
Odometer Readings
Ownership Transfers
Emissions Testing
DMV Transactions
Title Changes

Information from 175 Data Sources:
State DMVs
Auto Auction
Consumer Protection Agencies
Auto Dealers
Goverment Agencies


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