'07 STI and the Lemon Law

haasSTI · 04-09-2007, 09:01 AM

I wanted to start this thread for all those people that still have unresolved problems with their '07 STI. If you are selling your STI because of problems that are covered under warranty and Subaru has no fix for, you may be elligible for a full refund by Subaru.

I think this is worth pursuing. Anyone with any more information please feel free to chime in.

Here's an except of this site, http://www.oag.state.ny.us/consumer/cars/qa.html
which has some Q&A stuff about the Lemon Law. It will probably vary from state to state.

Quote:

WHAT IS THE MANUFACTURER'S DUTY TO REPAIR?

With respect to those covered cars sold and registered in New York State, if you notify the manufacturer or its authorized dealer of such defect within the first 18,000 miles of operation or two years from the original delivery date, whichever comes first, the law places a duty upon the manufacturer to repair --free of charge and without any deductible-- any defect covered by warranty.
Once timely notice of the defect is given, the manufacturer may not charge for the repairs, even if the repairs are performed after 18,000 miles or two years. If you have been charged for such repairs or a deductible, you should contact the Attorney General's office.

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS IF THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT MEET ITS DUTY TO REPAIR?
If the problem is not repaired after a reasonable number of attempts, or the manufacturer or the dealer refuses to commence repairs within 20 days from the manufacturer's receipt of the "refusal to repair" notice from you, and if the problem substantially impairs the value of the car, the manufacturer may be required to refund the full purchase or lease price, or offer a comparable replacement car.

DOES THE LAW SPECIFY THE NUMBER OF REQUIRED REPAIR ATTEMPTS?
Yes. It is presumed that there has been a reasonable number of attempts to repair a problem if, during the first 18,000 miles of operation or two years from the original delivery date, whichever comes first, either (a) the manufacturer (or its authorized dealer) has had an opportunity to repair the same problem four or more times and the problem continued to exist at the end of the fourth repair attempt; or (b) the car was out of service by reason of repair for a cumulative total of 30 or more calendar days for one or more problems.
You or the manufacturer may rebut this presumption by demonstrating that fewer, or more, than four repair attempts, or 30 days out-of-service due to repairs, is reasonable under the circumstances.

holycow · 04-09-2007, 09:11 AM

Ok... now post the one for Cali

jutes85 · 04-09-2007, 09:20 AM

or you could just get a tune.

BlueGold · 04-09-2007, 09:22 AM

I thought Subaru already released a reflashed for those that are having trouble??

OP: it seems all you do is complain about the STi??

**boondocksaint** · 04-09-2007, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueGold

I thought Subaru already released a reflashed for those that are having trouble??

OP: it seems all you do is complain about the STi??

He's had a lot of problems with his car. You'd complain, too.

Good luck, man. I hope they do the right thing.

Billenbuilt · 04-09-2007, 12:28 PM

I am looking into the lemon law here in CA concerning my Subaru 2007 STI!

I am sick of people say stop b****** about it too! If your ok with buying a brand new car that has serious mechanical and performance issues then GOOD FOR YOU! I AM NOT!

The comment about getting a AP or retune and voiding your warranty to get your brand new car to run correctly is just rediculous to me! Just THINK about that last sentence!

Some of us bought this car to leave stock and not modify it!

Subaru knows there is a problem and released a reflash that DOESNT WORK!

I refuse to drive around a brand new car that I paid over $32k IN GOOD FAITH that it performs as it should, but get a car that has Jekyll and Hyde personalities, hesitates, surges, misses and has no power below 4rpm with so far no known fix(factory) other than a crapp reflash that doesnt work! Thats insulting!

Just try calling a few dealers or SOA on this issue before you say we are b****** and let me know how far you get. I would be really interested how far you get!

Ok, Im done for now

haasSTI · 04-09-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billenbuilt

I am looking into the lemon law here in CA concerning my Subaru 2007 STI!

I am sick of people say stop b****** about it too! If your ok with buying a brand new car that has serious mechanical and performance issues then GOOD FOR YOU! I AM NOT!

The comment about getting a AP or retune and voiding your warranty to get your brand new car to run correctly is just rediculous to me! Just THINK about that last sentence!

Some of us bought this car to leave stock and not modify it!

Subaru knows there is a problem and released a reflash that DOESNT WORK!

I refuse to drive around a brand new car that I paid over $32k IN GOOD FAITH that it performs as it should, but get a car that has Jekyll and Hyde personalities, hesitates, surges, misses and has no power below 4rpm with so far no known fix(factory) other than a crapp reflash that doesnt work! Thats insulting!

Just try calling a few dealers or SOA on this issue before you say we are b****** and let me know how far you get. I would be really interested how far you get!

Ok, Im done for now

Yep, keep me updated on your status. Subaru has caused me a lot of hassle.

My plan is to tell the dealer about it again. After they respond with

like always, I'm going to write a few letters to Subaru and start building a case.

ace996 · 04-20-2007, 03:59 PM

Prior to buying my '06 STI, which I am very happy with, I owned a CTS-V. The CTS-V was lemon-lawed...or I should say GM settled my case three days prior to court...

Here's what you need to do.
1. Keep car completely stock
2. Take car to dealer for service every time there is an issue...mechanical or otherwise.
3. Document your complaints and visits to dealer
4. Keep all dealer repair order receipts.
You have 2years or 18K miles to reach the statutory requirements of "LemonLaw":
Once you have 3 unsuccessful repair attempts by dealer OR 30 days of "out-of-service" time for your car....you qualify for lemon-law and have met the statutory requirements. The manufacturer will then fight you tooth and nail until it's time to go to court...offer you all kinds of deals... but they will either lose or cave-in.

Its not fun but its there for a reason. And personally, regarding the "tune" issue...just do it, its a good car and the tune fixes it .....or lemon law it.

Be good,
TomK

TheLimitedProject · 04-21-2007, 10:22 PM

My guess is Subaru will just get a hold of Cobb's OTS v1.01 map (Stage 1 or otherwise), study it, and release another revision of their stock ECU map. Problem solved.

stilimited105 · 04-22-2007, 11:28 PM

That would be nice and make sense, wonder if that's possible...haha

Sime · 04-23-2007, 01:28 AM

G'day!

I'm Simon from Australia (but I am also a US and UK Citizen too - yep, 3 passports). I have a black '02 STi (heavily modded).

I went through the Lemon Law process in Michigan in 2000/1...with an 00 Corvette coupe that I bought brand new.

Have they changed the laws? In MI at the time, you could only pursue LL within the first year of the vehicles life.

In my case, I accrued over 4 visits to the dealer for the same issue, notifying them on the 3rd time that I was pursuing LL (PCV using excessive oil...actually, 13 quarts in 9500 miles!); and, I also had the car in the repair shop for over 30 days for a combination of failures/build issues. You can accrue repair time for a number of items and it all counts (ie. 2 days paint repair, 1 day electrical issue, 1 day seat trim stitching coming undone, 1 day radio buttons cracked etc) until you get to the 30 days. As TomK says, keep all your receipts and document everything.

Until you have reached the requirements to pursue LL and have contacted an attorney about it, DO NOT inform the dealer that you are pursuing LL. If you do, they will be difficult with you and will not want to book the car in for repairs. You need to speak with an attorney who specialises in this area and can advise as to whether or not you have a good case. Until then, just keep taking the car back and act like you really just want to get it fixed. Don't let the dealer know what you are up to, and be careful who you talk with about it and what you say.

I never went to court, or even arbritration. GM knew they were beat and settled my case. I got my money back and the attorney's got theirs (not out of my pocket)! It was so cool to hand the car back....I got to do so at the dealer (Les Stanford) that shafted me in the first place!

Talk about Karma!

If you are in MI and need a good attorney, give Ron Bolz a call at Consumer Legal Services (in Dearborn). They do it on a 'no win, no fee' contingency basis.

Cheers,
Simon

TheLimitedProject · 04-23-2007, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stilimited105

That would be nice and make sense, wonder if that's possible...haha

I don't know - but the engineers/techs at Subaru aren't idiots that's for sure. These are bright people putting WRC teams on podiums....
You can be sure that many of the engineers/techs have read these threads on here and NASIOC and are working on a fix. With everyone raving about Cobb's OTS maps pretty much getting rid of the problem, to me, it'd be logical to look at those Cobb maps and see where they're so improved over their OEM map.

haasSTI · 04-23-2007, 07:58 AM

So I've brought it in to the dealer about 4 times for this issue. They have no answer. I called SOA, they have no answer either. The guy said that I could bring my car into the dealer when a Subaru representive was there so he could look at the car.

My question is, how many cars does Subaru need to look at to determine there is a problem? I've been asked to describe the problem a billion times. Did they even test drive their own cars? I wish SOA would stop playing the legal game and just be straight with us about the problem.

**boondocksaint** · 04-23-2007, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haasSTI

So I've brought it in to the dealer about 4 times for this issue. They have no answer. I called SOA, they have no answer either. The guy said that I could bring my car into the dealer when a Subaru representive was there so he could look at the car.

My question is, how many cars does Subaru need to look at to determine there is a problem? I've been asked to describe the problem a billion times. Did they even test drive their own cars? I wish SOA would stop playing the legal game and just be straight with us about the problem.

That's such a crock. They're staring at the complaint report when they ask you that, I'd wager. It's disappointing.

I've heard from a few 07 owners who didn't even have the throttle issue. Your car seems cursed, haas.

I'm still rooting for your case to be resolved to your satisfaction.

I'm glad I insisted on an 06.

supermarkus · 04-23-2007, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhyteSTI

I don't know - but the engineers/techs at Subaru aren't idiots that's for sure. These are bright people putting WRC teams on podiums....

That would be Prodrive's engineers and the only reason Petter is on podium so far this year is the drivers in front of him got DQ'd. Sad but true. Subaru's engineers were the brilliant minds that gave us 04 STis that knocked with the initial factory tune and continue to let the rear strut clunking issue persist (since the v5 STi).

04-09-2007, 12:28 PM	#6
Billenbuilt Junior STI Driver Car: 2007 SWP STI Location: So Ca Posts: 55 Join Date: Mar 2007 Trader Rating: (1)	I am looking into the lemon law here in CA concerning my Subaru 2007 STI! I am sick of people say stop b**** about it too! If your ok with buying a brand new car that has serious mechanical and performance issues then GOOD FOR YOU! I AM NOT! The comment about getting a AP or retune and voiding your warranty to get your brand new car to run correctly is just rediculous to me! Just THINK about that last sentence! Some of us bought this car to leave stock and not modify it! Subaru knows there is a problem and released a reflash that DOESNT WORK! I refuse to drive around a brand new car that I paid over $32k IN GOOD FAITH that it performs as it should, but get a car that has Jekyll and Hyde personalities, hesitates, surges, misses and has no power below 4rpm with so far no known fix(factory) other than a crapp reflash that doesnt work! Thats insulting! Just try calling a few dealers or SOA on this issue before you say we are b**** and let me know how far you get. I would be really interested how far you get! Ok, Im done for now Last edited by Billenbuilt : 04-09-2007 at 12:42 PM.

04-20-2007, 03:59 PM	#8
ace996 Grassroots STI Racer Car: 06 STI - SGM Fav Mod: HPDE Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 568 Join Date: Dec 2004 Trader Rating: (1)	Re: '07 STI and the Lemon Law Prior to buying my '06 STI, which I am very happy with, I owned a CTS-V. The CTS-V was lemon-lawed...or I should say GM settled my case three days prior to court... Here's what you need to do. 1. Keep car completely stock 2. Take car to dealer for service every time there is an issue...mechanical or otherwise. 3. Document your complaints and visits to dealer 4. Keep all dealer repair order receipts. You have 2years or 18K miles to reach the statutory requirements of "LemonLaw": Once you have 3 unsuccessful repair attempts by dealer OR 30 days of "out-of-service" time for your car....you qualify for lemon-law and have met the statutory requirements. The manufacturer will then fight you tooth and nail until it's time to go to court...offer you all kinds of deals... but they will either lose or cave-in. Its not fun but its there for a reason. And personally, regarding the "tune" issue...just do it, its a good car and the tune fixes it .....or lemon law it. Be good, TomK Last edited by ace996 : 04-20-2007 at 04:26 PM.

04-21-2007, 10:22 PM	#9
TheLimitedProject Spec C Club Car: 07 STI LTD/08 STI Fav Mod: APS/Crawford/Cosworth/Aquamist Location: E-town, AB Posts: 2,338 Join Date: Apr 2005 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: '07 STI and the Lemon Law My guess is Subaru will just get a hold of Cobb's OTS v1.01 map (Stage 1 or otherwise), study it, and release another revision of their stock ECU map. Problem solved.

04-22-2007, 11:28 PM	#10
stilimited105 STI Driver Car: 2007 BMW 335i Coupe Location: Wherever they tell me... Posts: 229 Join Date: Nov 2006 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: '07 STI and the Lemon Law That would be nice and make sense, wonder if that's possible...haha

04-23-2007, 01:28 AM	#11
Sime Lurker Posts: 2 Join Date: Mar 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: '07 STI and the Lemon Law G'day! I'm Simon from Australia (but I am also a US and UK Citizen too - yep, 3 passports). I have a black '02 STi (heavily modded). I went through the Lemon Law process in Michigan in 2000/1...with an 00 Corvette coupe that I bought brand new. Have they changed the laws? In MI at the time, you could only pursue LL within the first year of the vehicles life. In my case, I accrued over 4 visits to the dealer for the same issue, notifying them on the 3rd time that I was pursuing LL (PCV using excessive oil...actually, 13 quarts in 9500 miles!); and, I also had the car in the repair shop for over 30 days for a combination of failures/build issues. You can accrue repair time for a number of items and it all counts (ie. 2 days paint repair, 1 day electrical issue, 1 day seat trim stitching coming undone, 1 day radio buttons cracked etc) until you get to the 30 days. As TomK says, keep all your receipts and document everything. Until you have reached the requirements to pursue LL and have contacted an attorney about it, DO NOT inform the dealer that you are pursuing LL. If you do, they will be difficult with you and will not want to book the car in for repairs. You need to speak with an attorney who specialises in this area and can advise as to whether or not you have a good case. Until then, just keep taking the car back and act like you really just want to get it fixed. Don't let the dealer know what you are up to, and be careful who you talk with about it and what you say. I never went to court, or even arbritration. GM knew they were beat and settled my case. I got my money back and the attorney's got theirs (not out of my pocket)! It was so cool to hand the car back....I got to do so at the dealer (Les Stanford) that shafted me in the first place! Talk about Karma! If you are in MI and need a good attorney, give Ron Bolz a call at Consumer Legal Services (in Dearborn). They do it on a 'no win, no fee' contingency basis. Cheers, Simon Last edited by Sime : 04-23-2007 at 01:32 AM.

04-09-2007, 09:11 AM	#2
holycow Spec C Club Car: 07 Subaru WRX STi Fav Mod: Stage 2 :D Location: Port Townsend, Washington Posts: 1,043 Join Date: Mar 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	Ok... now post the one for Cali

04-09-2007, 09:20 AM	#3
jutes85 Silver Member Car: 2006 OBP STi Fav Mod: DOM3 Paperweight Location: Alberta Posts: 1,426 Join Date: Sep 2006 Trader Rating: (7)	or you could just get a tune.

04-09-2007, 09:22 AM	#4
BlueGold Grassroots STI Racer Car: 05, Subaru Impreza W Location: Cincinnati Posts: 555 Join Date: Oct 2005 Trader Rating: (1)	I thought Subaru already released a reflashed for those that are having trouble?? OP: it seems all you do is complain about the STi??

04-23-2007, 07:58 AM	#13
haasSTI Professional STI Driver Car: '07 STI Limited Location: Binghamton, NY Posts: 400 Join Date: Oct 2006 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: '07 STI and the Lemon Law So I've brought it in to the dealer about 4 times for this issue. They have no answer. I called SOA, they have no answer either. The guy said that I could bring my car into the dealer when a Subaru representive was there so he could look at the car. My question is, how many cars does Subaru need to look at to determine there is a problem? I've been asked to describe the problem a billion times. Did they even test drive their own cars? I wish SOA would stop playing the legal game and just be straight with us about the problem.