No Fees Unless You Win
Lemon Law statutes generally shift attorney fees to the manufacturer where the claim succeeds. There is no upfront legal fee to begin an eligible claim, and the initial review carries no charge.
Hillsborough County, Florida
PLANT CITY LEMON LAW ATTORNEY.
Plant City sits between Tampa and Lakeland, and owners here often take the same vehicle to dealers in two counties. When each service department describes the problem differently, the repair history can look weaker than it is. Bad Vehicle helps keep the record consistent.
+25 Years of Experience
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Bad VehiclePlant City · One problem, many repair orders
EXPLORE ↓
Defective vehicle?
Start with the repair history
Hillsborough County, Florida
In Plant City, the same defect can end up on repair orders from two counties.
Florida counts repair attempts per nonconformity. Three visits for the same problem can start the path to the presumption, but only if the paperwork shows it was the same problem. When one dealer writes 'hesitation' and another writes 'check engine light,' the manufacturer may argue they were different issues.
That happens more for owners who split service between Hillsborough and Polk County dealers along I-4, or who take the vehicle wherever the first appointment is available. Visits to any authorized service department count, but the descriptions need to connect.
Florida requires the dealer to give you an itemized repair order every time the vehicle comes back from a warranty repair, so ask for it at every pickup. Describe the symptom the same way every time, in your own words, and bring copies of earlier orders to each new dealer so the technician can see the history.
Bad Vehicle handles model year 2024 and newer vehicles. Its Tampa office is on East Fletcher Avenue, and Plant City clients usually start remotely.
Local focus. Direct attorney access. No upfront legal fee to begin an eligible claim.
Why Bad Vehicle
LEGAL HELP WITHOUT THE RUNAROUND.
You Speak to the Attorney
No call center and no screening script. Clients work directly with the attorney handling the matter, and get straight guidance on what the repair record does and does not support.
Handled Remotely
Repair orders travel by email and the matter runs by phone and video call. A consumer in Plant City does not need to drive anywhere to start or to see a claim through.
Testimonials
TRUE STORIES. PROVEN RESULTS.
Read feedback from consumers who turned to Bad Vehicle for help with defective vehicles and Lemon Law matters.
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Jonathan D. Schwartz
Lemon Law Attorney
About the Attorney
Jonathan D. Schwartz
Lemon Law Attorney
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, the available legal options and the realistic path forward.
Direct attorney access. Clear guidance. Experienced Lemon Law representation.
Florida Lemon Law Vehicle Criteria
Six questions that tell you whether the vehicle fits the Lemon Law pattern.
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.
01
Less Than 24 Months Old?
The timing of delivery matters. Florida's Lemon Law rights period makes the age of the vehicle an important part of the review.
02
Sold in Florida as New or Demo?
The state process focuses on qualifying new and demonstrator vehicles purchased or long-term leased in Florida.
03
Does the Defect Affect Value, Safety or Use?
The issue generally needs to materially affect the vehicle's value, safety or function rather than being only a minor inconvenience.
04
Three or More Repair Attempts?
Three or more visits to the dealership or a factory-authorized repair centre for the same issue, with the defect still unresolved, is one route to the statutory presumption.
05
30 or More Days Out of Service?
Cumulative time the vehicle is unusable, held for repair or unavailable to the owner is a separate route to the presumption, independent of the repair count.
06
Keep the Repair Records
Repair orders, dates, mileage, written complaints and dealership documentation establish what happened and when. They are the case.
If these facts sound familiar, have the repair history reviewed.
Get a Free Case Review ↗How It Works
Three steps, and the first one costs nothing.
Start with the vehicle information and let the legal team handle the claim process.
Start My Review ↗01
Start with a Free Case Review
Send the year, make, model and a summary of the problems, the repair attempts and the time out of service. The firm reviews the history and says plainly whether the facts may qualify.
02
The Firm Handles the Claim
If the vehicle qualifies, the legal team prepares the paperwork, pursues the claim and deals with the manufacturer directly. No legal fees unless there is a successful recovery.
03
Return the Lemon or Take the Settlement
Depending on the facts, a resolution may be a manufacturer repurchase, a replacement vehicle or a cash settlement. The team explains what each one realistically looks like before you choose.
Florida Vehicle Coverage
Are all new vehicles covered?
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.
Most Passenger Vehicles
Qualifying new cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks can be protected when the statutory requirements are met.
Original Purchaser or Qualifying Lessee
The vehicle generally needs to remain with the original Florida purchaser or qualifying long-term lessee and fit the transaction categories the statute protects.
Some Vehicles Fall Outside
Motorcycles, off-road vehicles and certain heavy-duty trucks over 10,000 pounds may fall outside Florida's state Lemon Law coverage.
Owner-Caused Damage Is Different
Problems caused by abuse, neglect, an accident or an unauthorised modification are not treated the same as manufacturer defects.
RVs Have Special Rules
Some recreational vehicles receive statutory protection, although their living facilities are treated differently from covered motor-vehicle components.
Warranty Status Still Matters
Salvage vehicles and vehicles without qualifying warranty coverage may fall outside the state statute. Federal warranty rights can still be relevant where it does not reach.
Ready to eliminate the lemon in your life?
Get a Free Case Review ↗Florida Lemon Law Basics
Plant City owners ask about repair orders from different dealers.
How Florida counts repairs across service departments. General information, not legal advice.
Ask Us Directly ↗
Yes. Warranty repairs at any authorized service department count, wherever it is in Florida.
It can be, because Florida counts attempts per defect. A consistent description of the symptom helps show that the visits were for the same nonconformity.
Yes. It helps the technician and makes the connection between visits clear on the new order.
Put it in writing yourself, on the drop-off form or in an email before the visit, and keep a copy.
The manufacturer directs the vehicle to a reasonably accessible repair facility. If the one chosen is not reasonably accessible, raise it in writing.
Send the purchase or lease agreement, the warranty and every repair order from every dealer. The first review is free.
Florida's presumption of a reasonable number of repair attempts arises after three attempts at the same nonconformity followed by written notice and a final repair opportunity, or after the vehicle has been out of service by reason of repair for 30 or more cumulative days. A separate and earlier trigger sits at 15 cumulative days, which is when written notice goes to the manufacturer. The count is per defect: three visits for three different problems is not the same as three visits for one that never gets fixed.
What generally matters is where the vehicle was bought or leased and which warranty applies, not where you park it today. The Lemon Law rights period generally runs 24 months from the date of original delivery. If you bought in one state and moved to another, bring the purchase paperwork — it decides which statute governs.
Ordinarily no. Depending on the warranty materials, a consumer may first use a state-certified manufacturer program before requesting arbitration through the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, administered by the Department of Legal Affairs. A civil action and a local courthouse become relevant only in the circumstances the law allows, and usually later.
An air-conditioning defect is not automatically a Lemon Law case. Its seriousness, recurrence, effect on use or value, warranty coverage and repair history have to be reviewed together. In a hot climate a failed system affects the use of the vehicle far more than the same fault would elsewhere, and that is part of the argument.
A qualifying long-term leased new or demonstrator vehicle can be protected. The calculation of any refund is tied to the amounts actually paid into the lease rather than the full vehicle price, and the leasing company is dealt with as part of the resolution rather than left for you to sort out afterwards.
The purchase or lease agreement, the warranty booklet, every repair order, dealership communications, certified-mail receipts, towing and rental receipts, and a calendar showing each day the vehicle was unavailable. Keep the visits where nothing was found — those are repair attempts too, and they are the ones owners throw away.
That visit still counts as a repair attempt. Intermittent faults are extremely common in software, camera and electrical systems, and a growing share of manufacturer campaigns are software-related. Ask for the complaint to be written down in your own words and keep the copy that says the fault could not be verified.
Yes. A remedy delivered as a software reflash is still a remedy and the visit is still an attempt. This matters more each year, because an increasing share of manufacturer recalls are closed with a software push rather than a part. If the symptom returns after the update, that is another attempt.
Where the recall remedy addressed the defect at issue and the fault persisted afterwards, yes. Owners frequently leave recall visits out of their own count because the work was free and manufacturer-initiated, which weakens the record unnecessarily. If the vehicle went in for the fault and came back with the fault, it was an attempt.
Service Areas
Other Tampa Bay areas Bad Vehicle serves.
Plant City owners often have warranty work done in eastern Hillsborough County, Tampa and Lakeland. Repairs count toward one claim when they are for the same defect.
Vehicle Manufacturers
The badge does not decide the claim.
Bad Vehicle publishes dedicated Lemon Law information for every major manufacturer. The law applies the same way to all of them — what differs is the defect pattern and how hard each one fights.
Get in Touch
Have legal questions or need guidance?
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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