Silverpics - stock.adobe.comThe car is a lemon! People use that description all the time when talking about a car that is giving them problems.But the lemon law is very specific.In North Carolina, the lemon law only applies to new vehicles.It requires manufacturers to repair defects that affect the use, value, or safety of a new motor vehicle within the first 24 months or 24,000 miles -whichever comes first. Here's the biggest sticking point: the vehicle must have been to the shop for repairs for the exact same problem four or more times.Even with all those boxes checked, you still have to prove your new car is a lemon; it's not automatic. Case in point, our Call for Action volunteers got a call from one of your neighbors who needed help proving her lemon law case.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Can you imagine that within the first year, it dies on her electrical system, completely goes out while she's driving, and she takes it back. It's back in the shop like three or four times during that first year. They can't replicate the problem, so they tell her that they almost make her think she's crazy, that, you know, well, maybe you're doing this, or maybe you're doing that," said Roseanne, Call For Action volunteer. The new car was in the shop three times in 2024 for the complete loss of power and again for the same issue in the summer of 2025. The manufacturer even sent a specialist to look at it. But it still wasn't fixed. All of this was documented.Call for Action got the driver in touch with the NC Attorney General's office in November of 2025, and by spring of 2026.... "She finally got the mediation, and she won a judgment, so she was able to buy a newer vehicle, a different vehicle, not the same model and not quite as expensive, but all in all we won over $50,000 back for this particular consumer," said Roseanne.The exact payout is $52,266.Do you have a consumer issue and need help? Our Call for Action volunteers help to educate and mediate. You can fill out this complaint form. You find it in the 2 Wants to Know section of our website.