A really crappy car that never works, is really old, and rattles way too much.

The definition of “substantial defect” and “reasonable amount of time” is case-by-case and varies based on the lemon law for the state you’re in, if it has one (not all states do). But if you do, we've cut through the legalese in your state's statutes to educate you about your rights under the law―in language anyone can understand.

Lemon cars are basically vehicles that have persistent mechanical problems.

The origins of calling a car a “lemon” are unknown, suffice it to say “lemon” refers to an inferior product attempted to pass off as a decent one. An example of a lemon car is the most recent generation of the Ford Focus, specifically earlier years equipped with the Powershift dual clutch transmission. To determine the root of the term “lemon” and its association with sub-par quality, we have to look back to when cars were invented. Once vehicles are determined to be lemon cars, this status is entered into the DMV databases for future reference. A car is considered a lemon if it has a substantial defect that the automaker can’t fix within a reasonable amount of time. What Is a Lemon Car? John: Dude your new car is really bad what happened? At … Hopefully you never have to read our Lemon Law guide (because it probably means your shiny new car has gone sour). Another term used that you might see on a a vehicle history report, is a manufacturer buyback, meaning the manufacturer has repurchased this problem vehicle as it could not be fixed. Lemon Carunknown.