Commercial Vehicle Lemon Law in Louisiana

Work Trucks, Vans & Fleet Vehicles: Know Where You Stand

If your work truck or van keeps going back to the dealer for the same repair and nothing sticks, the question isn’t just whether you have a lemon. It’s whether Louisiana’s lemon law even applies to your vehicle. That answer depends on what you drive and how you use it. With over three decades of lemon law experience, I offer free, no-obligation consultations to help you find out exactly where you stand. If you have a case, I handle it on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we achieve a favorable result.

Concerned about your commercial or work vehicle’s warranty problems? Call me for a free consultation at (888) 577-8520 and I can tell you whether state law, federal law, or both may give you a path forward.

What Louisiana’s Lemon Law Covers & What It Doesn’t

Louisiana’s lemon law (La. R.S. 51:1941–1948) protects owners of passenger motor vehicles and passenger/commercial motor vehicles, a category that includes vehicles used to transport passengers or goods for private, commercial, or for-hire purposes. Two groups of vehicles fall outside the statute entirely.

The two exclusions that affect commercial owners:

• Gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or above. Regardless of how the vehicle is used, if it meets or exceeds this GVW threshold, state lemon law doesn’t apply.
• Vehicles used exclusively for commercial purposes. Even a vehicle below 10,000 pounds is excluded if its use is entirely commercial, with no personal or family use.

For vehicles that do qualify, a nonconformity is any specific or generic defect, malfunction, or condition that substantially impairs the vehicle’s use, market value, or both. The defect must be reported and the vehicle made available for repair before the warranty expires or within one year of original delivery, whichever comes first. The statute presumes a reasonable number of repair attempts when the same nonconformity has been subject to four or more attempts, or the vehicle has been out of service a cumulative 45 or more days, within the warranty term or first year.

What I Handle for Commercial Vehicle Owners in Louisiana

Whether your vehicle falls inside or outside the statute is exactly the kind of question a free consultation is designed to answer. If your vehicle qualifies under state law, I pursue the lemon law claim. If it doesn’t, that’s not necessarily the end of the road.

When Louisiana’s lemon law doesn’t reach your vehicle, I also evaluate claims under Louisiana redhibition law and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Redhibition covers hidden defects in goods sold in Louisiana. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act addresses breaches of a manufacturer’s express written warranty and can apply to vehicles purchased new or used with a manufacturer’s warranty, depending on the specific facts of your situation. Nothing in the Louisiana lemon law eliminates these other remedies, so they can run alongside a state lemon law claim or stand on their own.

My practice currently covers new vehicles, demo vehicles, and vehicles still under factory warranty. I don’t take cases involving older vehicles, used vehicles purchased without a warranty, or used vehicles sold with full disclosure of known defects.

Get a Free Answer About Your Vehicle

You shouldn’t have to guess whether the law protects you. A free, no-obligation consultation can give you a direct answer about your vehicle, your warranty, and your options. If I take your case, you pay nothing unless we achieve a favorable result.

Call Rick Dalton Law Firm, LLC today at (888) 577-8520 to schedule your free consultation about your commercial vehicle warranty problem.