The Auto Care Association supports a recent New Jersey law that requires vehicle manufacturers to send a notice to consumers within 90 days of a new car lease of their existing rights.
If a manufacturer does not, it must purchase customers’ warranty rights under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The law also requires vehicle manufacturers to publish the same notice in the owner’s manual or online.
The law is a positive step toward educating consumers about their warranty rights, Tom Tucker, Auto Care Association director of state government affairs, said.
“Gaining the right to repair your vehicle at the facility of your choosing without voiding the vehicle warranty was only half the battle in protecting consumer choice,” Bill Hanvey, Auto Care Association president and CEO, said. “The Auto Care Association and our allies are dedicated to consumer choice, and we are fighting to ensure that the federal rights of consumers are not only acknowledged by the states but actively protected and defended by them too.”
The association will continue advocating for the promotion of warranty rights and working with legislators and regulators, Tucker said.
New Jersey’s law is the second in the United States to require consumer notification of warranty act rights.