There really isn’t a lemon law for travel trailers, perhaps with the exception of California.  In fact the RV industry has fought to make sure there are no lemon laws for recreational vehicles.  While the balance of the states may have some limited protection; this limited protection ordinarily comes from what is sometimes referred to as the Federal RV Lemon Law.  The Federal RV Lemon Law is actually the Magnuson-Moss Act.

So what is the Magnuson-Moss Act?   The Magnuson-Moss act was enacted by Congress in response to the widespread misuse of express warranties and disclaimers. The purpose of the act is to make warranties on consumer products more easily understood and enforceable.  It protects RV owners when the manufacturer fails to honor their written warranty.  This law applies to motorized RV’s (Class A, Class B and Class C motorhomes) as well as Travel Trailers, Toy Haulers, Fifth-Wheel Trailers and Truck Campers.

If there is a problem, the manufacturer must repair the vehicle in a reasonable amount of time and with a reasonable number of attempts.   You should keep meticulous records of all your phone calls, emails,  and texts to the dealer and manufacturer.  Also keep a record of the amount of time the RV was unusable due to the problem(s).  Lastly If the manufacturer has failed to repair the RV after a reasonable time and opportunity; this is the point where you will probably want to seek legal advice from a recreational vehicle lemon law attorney.

Since there really isn’t a good lemon law for most RV Owners there are a number of things you, as a buyer should do:

  1.  Research the RV you are thinking of purchasing.  Look at RV Lemon Law websites at the brand and model that has a large number of complaints.  Research the company you want to  buy from.  Go on social media and see what the common problems are with your potential RV.  Look for red flags around the quality and the manufacturers willingness to make things right.
  2. Have an independent RV inspection done prior to purchasing a new RV.  The Dealer Inspections and even the Manufacturers inspection are, for the most part, a joke.  If the Dealership tells you that they wont allow an independent inspection before you sign a purchase agreement;  run away from that dealer.  A trustworthy dealership will not mind if you have an independent inspection.

There was a time when most attorneys were not interested in RV Warranty litigation.  That seems to be changing now as many are actually advertising this service.   Always consider your alternatives before living with a problem that should have been fixed.

If you want to learn more about travel trailer inspections click here.