Law for defective car buyers may be introduced next year, says Armizan
Published on: Tuesday, June 04, 2024
By: FMT
Armizan Mohd Ali said a consultant has been hired to prepare a report on the proposed lemon law to protect buyers who purchase defective vehicles. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: The government is looking to introduce a “lemon law” or amend existing Acts to provide a legal remedy for consumers who purchase defective vehicles in March next year, domestic trade and cost of living minister Armizan Mohd Ali said.
Armizan said his ministry has appointed a consultant to prepare a report.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the consultant will be engaging with various stakeholders from this month until September.
“They will then produce a comprehensive report which the ministry will rely on to decide whether we need a specific lemon law or merely need to amend existing ones,” he told reporters here today.
A lemon law provides a legal remedy for consumers who purchase defective vehicles, whether new or used, that fail to fulfil quality and performance criteria within a specified time frame.
In January, Armizan had said the government was in the early phases of reviewing and researching the possibility of adopting a lemon law to protect car buyers who purchase defective vehicles.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said then that it was necessary to analyse international practices before adapting them for local use.
The US, Singapore, South Korea, China and the Philippines are among the countries that have adopted a similar lemon law.
ADVERTISEMENT
Armizan said Malaysia has several laws that contained similar elements to a lemon law, including the Consumer Protection Act 1999, the Contracts Act 1950, the Sale of Goods Act 1957, and the Hire-Purchase Act 1967.
Calls for the introduction of a lemon law followed two reports of newly bought vehicles that were defective.
Clerk S Nagakanni said her new Perodua Bezza broke down eight hours after purchase and she was forced to pay the RM537 monthly loan payment despite the car being stranded at a service centre.
Noriya Mamat of Terengganu said her newly bought Honda HR-V had been stranded at a service centre for four months after she sent it in a month after its purchase for servicing at the 1,000km mileage mark.
She said she had to pay the monthly repayment of RM1,500 for a car she was unable to drive.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
.jpg)
.jpg)
