Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) The LLU
shall compile a roster of American and foreign manufacturers of passenger
automobiles and motorcycles registered, sold or leased in New Jersey.
(b) Manufacturers who establish or
participate in an informal dispute settlement procedure shall:
1. Advise the LLU of the existence of its
informal dispute settlement procedure; and
2. Send the LLU an outline of the steps that
a consumer must take in order to participate in the manufacturer's informal
dispute resolution procedure; the information shall include all necessary
addresses and phone numbers.
(c) On January 15 and July 15 of every year,
the LLU shall send a questionnaire by hand delivery or certified mail, return
receipt requested, to every manufacturer on the roster compiled pursuant to (a)
above, requesting the following information:
1. Any and all informal dispute settlement
procedures utilized by the manufacturer. If the informal dispute settlement
procedure is an in-house customer assistance mechanism or private arbitration
or private buy-back program instituted by the manufacturer, the information
provided shall include the reasons for establishing and maintaining such
programs.
2. The number of purchase
price and lease price refunds requested, the number awarded by any dispute
settlement body or other settlement procedure identified in (c)1 above, the
amount of each award and the number of awards satisfied in a timely
manner.
3. The number of awards in
which additional repairs or a warranty extension was the remedy, the amount or
value of each award, and the number of awards satisfied in a timely
manner;
4. The number and total
dollar amount of awards in which some form of reimbursement for expenses or
compensation for losses was the remedy, the amount or value of each award and
the number of awards satisfied in a timely manner;
5. The average number of days from the date
of a consumer's initial request to use the manufacturer's informal dispute
settlement procedure until the date of the decision and the average number of
days from the date of the decision to the date on which performance of the
award was satisfied; and
6. A list
of all motor vehicles and their Vehicle Identification Numbers stamped with
"R--RETURNED TO MANUFACTURER UNDER LEMON LAW OR OTHER PROCEEDING," which have
been reported to the MVC Special Title Section during the previous six
months.
(d) Failure of
the manufacturer to return the completed questionnaire to the LLU within 60
days of receipt shall be a violation of this subchapter and the Consumer Fraud
Act, 56:8-1 et seq.
