A serious defect that keeps returning can leave a Jacksonville driver without safe, dependable transportation. Bad Vehicle helps Duval County consumers review repair attempts, downtime and Florida Lemon Law deadlines before the record becomes harder to prove.
Bad VehicleDuval County Lemon Law representation.
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Bad Vehicle is a Florida Lemon Law firm that represents Jacksonville and Duval County vehicle owners in claims against car makers under the Florida Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, Fla. Stat. ch. 681. Florida law gives new-car owners rights when a serious defect keeps coming back or leaves a vehicle in the shop for too long. A Jacksonville lemon law attorney can review the repair record, handle required notices, file for arbitration, and deal with the manufacturer on the owner’s behalf.
Florida law creates a presumption after three repair attempts for the same defect plus a final repair chance, or after 30 total days out of service for repairs. The Lemon Law Rights Period lasts 24 months after the vehicle was first delivered to the consumer.
A free case review can help you find out whether your vehicle may qualify. Call 1-855-223-8344.
A short summary of the court, the repair standards, the deadlines and the attorney behind a Duval County Lemon Law claim.
Bad Vehicle represents consumers in Jacksonville and Duval County. Duval County is part of Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit with Clay and Nassau counties. Circuit Civil filings are handled at the Duval County Courthouse, 501 West Adams Street in Jacksonville.
Florida law may presume a reasonable number of repair attempts after three tries plus a final repair chance. A vehicle may also qualify after 30 total days out of service for covered repairs. RVs have a 60-day standard.
Repairs can be done by an authorized service agent. Florida law defines that term to include a franchised dealer that the manufacturer has approved to service the vehicle.
The Lemon Law Rights Period lasts 24 months. The clock starts on the date the vehicle was first delivered to a consumer.
Jacksonville had an estimated 1,017,689 residents as of July 1, 2025. It was the 11th-largest city in the country by that estimate.
Attorney Jonathan D. Schwartz has practiced in Florida since 1999. The Florida Bar lists him as a member in good standing under Bar No. 178268, with no discipline in the past 10 years.
Examples published by Bad Vehicle show outcomes involving a range of manufacturers and defects. Every claim is different, and prior results do not guarantee a future outcome.
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Find out whether the vehicle and repair history may support a Lemon Law claim. There is no charge for the initial review.
You deal directly with the Lemon Law attorney handling the matter. No call center, no middleman and no unnecessary handoff.
The goal is to pursue the strongest compensation or other remedy available under the law and the facts of the claim.
If your car keeps getting fixed for the same thing over and over, you might have a case. Maybe your car sat in the shop for weeks and still doesn’t work right. Every paper from the repair shop helps prove your case. Want to know if you qualify? Take our fast quiz online to find out if your broken car counts as a lemon.
A Jacksonville lemon law attorney is a consumer lawyer who represents Duval County vehicle owners in warranty claims against manufacturers. That work may include:
Florida Lemon Law covers qualifying new vehicles, leased vehicles, demonstrators, and some RVs. It does not cover used cars as “motor vehicles” under Chapter 681. A used vehicle that still has a written warranty may have rights under other laws, including the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
A Florida lemon law attorney can determine which law fits the vehicle and its warranty.
Read feedback from consumers who turned to Bad Vehicle for help with defective vehicles and Lemon Law matters.
View All Testimonials ↗A Florida Lemon Law claim can move through arbitration and, in some cases, the court system.
For arbitration, the consumer submits the claim to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board holds hearings at locations across the state. Florida law says the hearing location must be reasonably convenient for the consumer. Once a request is approved, the Board generally must hear the case within 40 days and issue a decision within 60 days.
A consumer must usually go through this process before filing a civil action involving a claim covered by §681.104. A civil case tied to a Duval County consumer may be filed in Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit when venue is proper there. The Duval County Clerk’s Circuit Civil Department is at:
Duval County Courthouse
501 West Adams Street, Room 1046
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Much of the work in a Lemon Law case can be handled by phone and email.
Florida consumers filed 506 Lemon Law arbitration claims statewide in 2020, according to the Florida Attorney General’s most recent published annual Lemon Law report. Of those claims, 389 were approved for arbitration. The report states that 343 approved cases were resolved through either settlement or an arbitration decision. Of those, 213 ended in prehearing settlements and 130 reached an arbitration decision. Total reported consumer relief for the year was more than $11.1 million.
Manufacturers also reported 1,105 reacquired vehicles in 2020. That figure includes vehicles bought back for several reasons, so it should not be read as the number of arbitration wins.
These are statewide program figures. They are not Jacksonville results, Duval County results, or results for Bad Vehicle. The Attorney General’s public annual-report page currently lists reports only through 2020.
1. Send Your Repair History. Start with the basics. Send the year, make, model, VIN, purchase or lease date, and all repair orders.
The attorney can compare those records with Fla. Stat. §681.104. The same defect may need three repair attempts before the manufacturer gets a final chance to fix it. A separate rule applies when the vehicle has spent many days out of service.
2. Give the Manufacturer Written Notice. After three attempts to repair the same problem, Florida law calls for written notice to the manufacturer by registered or express mail.
The manufacturer then has 10 days after it gets the notice to respond and give the owner a chance to bring the vehicle to a reasonably accessible repair site. The manufacturer generally has another 10 days after delivery to that site to complete its final repair attempt. Different time limits apply to RVs.
3. Seek Arbitration or a Settlement. Some manufacturers use a certified dispute program. If one applies, the consumer may have to use it first.
A request for Board arbitration must generally be made no later than 60 days after the Lemon Law Rights Period ends, or within 30 days after the final action of a certified program, whichever is later.
Some cases settle before a Board hearing. Others go to arbitration.
4. Seek a Refund, Replacement, or Further Relief. Florida law allows a qualifying consumer to seek a refund or an acceptable replacement vehicle. The consumer has the right to choose a refund instead of a replacement.
If further court action is needed, Fla. Stat. §681.112 sets filing deadlines. A consumer who wins a claim under that section may recover reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs.
Florida Lemon Law may apply to buyers and some lessees of new cars, SUVs, vans, light trucks, demonstrator vehicles, and RVs. Common Jacksonville cases may involve:
Chapter 681 does not include motorcycles, mopeds, off-road vehicles, electric bicycles, trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, or the living areas of an RV. Used cars are also outside the statute’s definition of a covered motor vehicle.
Used-car owners may still have warranty rights under federal or other state law.
From the first repair-order review to a civil filing when the law allows one.
Checking the number of repair visits and days out of service.
Preparing the notice required by §681.104.
Preparing the request sent to the Department of Legal Affairs.
Presenting repair records, testimony, and other proof.
Handling certified dispute procedures when they apply.
Discussing a refund or replacement with the manufacturer.
Filing a court action when allowed under §681.112.
Reviewing possible Magnuson-Moss claims when Chapter 681 does not apply.
For a Florida Lemon Law refund, the law can include the purchase price plus allowed collateral and incidental charges, less a reasonable offset for use. The offset is based on miles driven up to the settlement agreement or arbitration hearing, whichever happens first. The mileage is divided by 120,000 for most vehicles and 60,000 for an RV, then applied to the vehicle’s base price.
Florida also places disclosure and warranty rules on certain vehicles that manufacturers buy back and later resell.
Jonathan D. Schwartz is a Lemon Law attorney with +25 years of experience helping consumers with defective vehicles and repeated warranty repair problems.
At Bad Vehicle, clients work directly with the attorney handling their matter, receiving clear guidance on their repair history, available legal options and the path forward for pursuing compensation or other Lemon Law remedies.
Jonathan D. Schwartz, Esq., has been admitted to The Florida Bar since September 24, 1999. His Florida Bar number is 178268. The Bar lists him as a member in good standing and eligible to practice law in Florida. It also reports no discipline during the past 10 years. He attended Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law.
Bad Vehicle focuses its work on Lemon Law and consumer warranty claims. The firm represents people throughout Florida, including Jacksonville and Duval County.
Clients deal directly with the attorney handling the case. Documents, repair orders, and updates can usually be handled by phone and email, so a Jacksonville client does not need to drive across Florida to meet with the firm.
Florida eligibility depends on the timing, the type of vehicle, the seriousness of the defect, the repair history and the amount of time the vehicle has been unavailable for use.
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The timing of delivery matters. Florida's Lemon Law rights period makes the age of the vehicle an important part of the review.
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The state process focuses on qualifying new and demonstrator vehicles purchased or long-term leased in Florida.
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The issue generally needs to materially affect the vehicle’s value, safety or function rather than being only a minor inconvenience.
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Three or more visits to the dealership or a factory-authorized repair center for the same issue, with the defect still unresolved, can be an important indicator of a qualifying claim.
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Cumulative time that the vehicle is unusable, held for repair or unavailable to the owner can also be relevant under Florida law.
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Repair orders, dates, mileage, written complaints and dealership documentation help establish what happened and when.
If these facts sound familiar, have the repair history reviewed.
Get a Free Case Review ↗Start with the vehicle information and let the legal team handle the claim process.
Start My Review ↗Provide the year, make, model and a summary of the problems, repair attempts and time out of service. The firm reviews the history and explains whether the facts may qualify under the Lemon Law.
If the vehicle qualifies, the legal team prepares the paperwork, pursues the claim and communicates directly with the manufacturer. Bad Vehicle advertises no legal fees unless there is a successful recovery.
Depending on the facts and applicable law, a resolution may involve a manufacturer repurchase, replacement vehicle or cash settlement. The team helps evaluate which available outcome fits the claim.
Most passenger vehicles can fall within Florida's Lemon Law protections, but the statute does not treat every vehicle or every defect the same way.
Qualifying new cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks can be protected when the statutory requirements are met.
The vehicle generally needs to remain with the original Florida purchaser or qualifying long-term lessee and fit the transaction categories protected by the statute.
Motorcycles, off-road vehicles and certain heavy-duty trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds may fall outside Florida's state Lemon Law coverage.
Problems caused by abuse, neglect, an accident or an unauthorized modification are not treated the same as manufacturer defects.
Some recreational vehicles can receive statutory protection, although their living facilities are treated differently from covered motor-vehicle components.
Salvage vehicles and vehicles without qualifying warranty coverage may fall outside Florida's state Lemon Law. Even when the state statute does not apply, written-warranty or federal warranty rights may still be relevant in some situations.
Bad Vehicle offers a free consultation and free case review. The firm handles these claims on a contingency basis, so there is no upfront legal fee.
Florida law also allows a consumer who prevails in a civil claim under Chapter 681 to recover reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs. Federal warranty law may also allow a court to award reasonable attorney fees and costs to a successful consumer.
Timing depends on the repair history and where the claim is in the process. Once the Arbitration Board approves a request, Florida law generally calls for a hearing within 40 days and a decision within 60 days.
To start a review, gather your VIN, purchase or lease date, year, make, model, and every repair order you have.
These answers address local context while the governing Florida requirements remain statewide.
Ask Us Directly ↗Bad Vehicle publishes dedicated Lemon Law information for several major manufacturers, including the brands highlighted on its Jacksonville page.
Tell us what is happening with the vehicle and how many times it has been repaired. The initial case review is free.
1-855-223-8344NO LEGAL FEES UNLESS WE WIN YOUR CASE · [email protected]
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