If new-car woes mount, use state lemon law

I want to ask you about my 2016 Chevy Malibu. From the day I drove it off the lot, I’ve had all kinds of issues: lights dimming, then working fine; one speaker on the radio going out, then working fine; the Bluetooth working fine one day, then refusing to take my calls the next; the car jolting when I take off at a light or stop sign that is on a slight incline. A few months ago, they had to replace a rod in the brake system because it had rusted out, but they found that only after I took the car in three times, saying it was making a grinding noise all the time. First they said they couldn’t hear the grinding noise, then they said I needed a different-”style” tire, even though they’re the same ones that came on the car, and then I insisted they take apart the brake, and voila! Problem solved. The latest issue has been with my cruise control. Before the last “fix,” it sometimes worked fine, and sometimes worked only after I drove at highway speed for a while. I hoped that fixing the brake rod thing would fix my cruise control, too, but nope. I can’t take it back to the shop to face the withering looks from the mechanics. Is my car possessed? Demonic? A misogynist?

I’d put my money on a lemon misogynist, T.J.

It sure sounds like the brake-pedal pressure sensor (which cancels the cruise control when you touch the brakes) is misadjusted. But if they’ve replaced it and adjusted it, then maybe you’ve got more serious electrical gremlins that no one’s found yet.

But before you mess around with the dealer any more, first investigate your state’s lemon law. States that have strong consumer protections often have good laws in place to protect consumers like you. For instance, California’s lemon law says that if your new car is out of service for any reason for 30 days in the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, you can trigger the lemon law proceedings and force the dealer to either fix the car completely, replace it or buy it back from you.

Other states more friendly to business and less friendly to consumers might make it harder for you to get satisfaction. I think the Texas lemon law requires you and the dealer to shoot it out behind the showroom.

You certainly sound like you’ve had more than your share of problems, and that’s exactly the kind of situation that lemon laws are designed to address. Good luck, T.J.

— T.J.