When Car Shopping, Look for Yellow

Posted by:
Barbara Anthony, Undersecretary of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

Not everyone would be interested in a yellow car, but when you go car shopping, it’s a good idea to look for yellow – the yellow sticker that must be attached to all cars that detail the Massachusetts Lemon Laws.

Today, we announced the results of a survey we did at 73 dealerships around the Boston area and Cape Cod, checking to see how many cars had the necessary yellow stickers (seen on the right). We found that 43 percent of the 1,912 cars we checked did not have the stickers. We found that of the 1,304 used cars we checked, 51 percent were missing stickers. (To see all the results of our survey, visit our Publications & Reports section of our website.)

We sent letters to all the dealers we visited, informing them that these stickers are important and need to be in a conspicuous place, so consumers can plainly see what their rights are. The Lemon Law is a valuable consumer protection for people thinking about buying a car, and consumers have a right to know their rights under the Lemon Law. These stickers detail repair and refund rules, and deadlines to request free repairs.

The best practice is for dealers to be consistent about putting the stickers on every car, and we found many dealerships that follow through on that requirement. This way, consumers will always know their rights, whether they’re looking at one car or a bunch of cars when shopping.

Our website includes a wealth of information about the Lemon Laws, including the New and Leased Lemon Law, the Used Car Lemon Law, and much more. We also operate the Lemon Law Arbitration Program. If you have any questions, please call our Consumer Hotline at (888) 283-3757. Click here to watch Channel 5's story on the survey.

Comments

[mens cashmere scarves]

thanks for the suggestions

[Lemonaid]

It's surprising how many dealers don't brand their lemon law buybacks. It's unfortunate, because the consumer gets stuck with a lemon car and has to chase the dealer through various legal routes. It could all be avoided by notifying the consumer beforehand.

I commend you on holding the dealers accountable.