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Fort Lauderdale Lemon Law

Fort Lauderdale Lemon Law Attorney

If you've got a new car that keeps going back to a Federal Highway service department for the same fault, what you've got is a Florida lemon law problem, and it turns out Broward County has more of the machinery for fixing that than most drivers realize. RockPoint Law handles lemon law as its core practice, for Ft. Lauderdale drivers and the rest of Florida.

Free Case Evaluation

Three quick questions. No cost, no obligation.

  1. The year and make of your vehicle
  2. What the dealer has already tried
  3. How to reach you, and we review it
Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323

Sending this does not create an attorney-client relationship. A case evaluation is a first step, not legal representation.

The Attorney General runs part of its arbitration program out of an office on SE 6th Street, and an appeal from the Board goes to the Broward circuit court on that very same street. You pay no filing fee to the state Board, and for most owners the window to use it closes 60 days after the first 24 months.

  • 17th Circuit Broward appeals
  • 24 months from delivery
  • No fee unless we recover
Key facts

Fort Lauderdale lemon law at a glance

The statewide rules, plus the Broward offices and practical rules a Fort Lauderdale owner meets, in the order a claim runs into them.

Key facts for a Fort Lauderdale lemon law claim under Chapter 681, Florida Statutes
Key figureWhat it meansWhere it comes from
$2on your sales contractEvery new sale or lease carries a $2 fee that funds the state's lemon law program through the Motor Vehicle Warranty Trust Fund.Sec. 681.117
24 monthsfrom deliveryReport the defect within two years of delivery. The period remains the same length regardless of how many miles you drive.Sec. 681.102(9)
3 + 1 or 30two routes, no fast laneThree repairs plus a failed final attempt after your letter, or 30 shop days in total. There's no separate safety route.Sec. 681.104(3)
60 daysto reach the Attorney GeneralSixty days after the rights period closes, or 30 days after a certified program finishes with your claim if that falls later.Sec. 681.109(4)
Tallahasseefor the first filingA new Request for Arbitration goes to the screening unit in Tallahassee, not to the Fort Lauderdale office.AG Request for Arbitration instructions
FTLdocket suffixOnce approved, FTL, MIA and WPB cases file their papers through the Fort Lauderdale office at 110 S.E. 6th Street.AG Lemon Law notices
Own ituntil the hearingYou must currently own or possess the vehicle to be eligible for a hearing. Trading it in mid-claim can end the case.AG hearing procedures
17th Circuitfor an appealA Broward owner's appeal usually goes to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit within 30 days as a new trial.Sec. 681.1095(10), (12); Sec. 26.021(17)
$50,000for federal courtA Magnuson-Moss claim of $50,000 or more can be heard in the Southern District of Florida, which sits in Fort Lauderdale.15 U.S.C. 2310(d)(3); 28 U.S.C. 89(c)
The Short Answer

What is the lemon law in Fort Lauderdale?

A Fort Lauderdale lemon law claim runs under Florida's Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes. It covers a new or demonstrator vehicle sold in Florida whose defect you reported within 24 months of delivery. If the manufacturer still hasn't fixed it after three repairs and a final attempt, or after 30 days in the shop, it must refund the price or replace the vehicle, and the refund is your choice. The claim goes to the Attorney General's arbitration board, which charges you nothing to hear it.

The state's Consumer Guide to the Florida Lemon Law confirms the Board hears your case free of charge. Most Broward owners never see a courtroom. The Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board sits inside the Attorney General's office, and three offices run it: Tallahassee, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale. The Fort Lauderdale one is in The 110 Tower at 110 S.E. 6th Street, and the Attorney General lists a Lemon Law department there.

One thing that office won't do trips people up. It doesn't take a new claim at the counter. The first Request for Arbitration is mailed or emailed to the screening unit in Tallahassee, which makes an eligibility call within 20 days. Only an approved claim gets a case number and moves to a regional office. Our Florida lemon law guide walks through the statute section by section, and if your car was bought and garaged in Miami-Dade, our Miami lemon law page covers that county.

The deadlines a Broward claim lives or dies by

Every Florida deadline runs in calendar days, under section 681.102(5). Four dates matter, and only one of them is about the car:

  • report the defect inside 24 months of delivery, the whole rights period under section 681.102(9);
  • if your brand has a certified program, the claim goes there first, no later than 60 days after the period ends, under section 681.109(1);
  • the Attorney General: 60 days after the 24 months, or 30 days after the program's final action, whichever is later, under section 681.109(4);
  • a lawsuit: one year from the end of the rights period, or from the final action of the program, the department or the Board, under section 681.112(2).

A defect notice to the manufacturer stops none of these clocks. Filing a copy of the Defect Notification form with the Attorney General, in its own words, "is not the equivalent of filing a claim."

Section 681.104(3) creates exactly two presumptions, with no fast lane for dangerous faults. Route one: three repair visits for one problem, a letter by registered or express mail to the company that built the car, and a last repair chance that also fails. Route two: 30 shop days in total, across any mix of problems, with a letter once the tally hits 15 and another look for the maker after it. Scheduled maintenance days are subtracted.

A precondition catches people who've run out of patience. The Attorney General's hearing procedures say you must currently own or possess the vehicle to be eligible for a hearing. Trade it in at the dealership in frustration and the claim can go with it. Our guide to how to file a lemon law claim covers the paperwork order, and the lemon law glossary explains the terms.

Eligibility

What qualifies for the lemon law in Fort Lauderdale?

The same four questions decide a claim in Fort Lauderdale as anywhere else in Florida. Is the defect a real one? Section 681.102(15) calls it a nonconformity: something that substantially impairs the car's use, value or safety, and not something caused by an accident, abuse, neglect or a modification by someone other than the manufacturer or its dealer.

Then come the repair history, the forum and the calendar. Each has its own test below, with a Fort Lauderdale example and a self-check.

Three Repairs and a Final Attempt

The same nonconformity persists through three trips to the service lane. Your letter then goes to the company that built the car, sent registered or express. The clock after that belongs to the manufacturer: 10 days after the letter lands to direct you to a shop within reasonable reach, then 10 more once the car is dropped there. Miss either deadline and the final-attempt step falls away.

A Fort Lauderdale example A new crossover bought on North Federal Highway goes back three times for a transmission that shudders from a stop, then a registered letter, then a fourth repair that doesn't hold

Thirty Days in the Shop

Add up every day the car sat at a repair facility, for any covered problem, not just one. Reach 30 and the presumption applies, 60 for a motorhome. Halfway there, at 15, a written notice has to go out by registered or express mail, and the maker is owed one more inspection or repair after it. Weekends and holidays count. Oil changes and other scheduled service don't.

A Fort Lauderdale example Nine days for a coolant leak, eight for an infotainment unit that reboots on the highway, a written notice at day 17, and a fourth visit that pushes the total past 30

The Right Forum, in Order

Some brands run a dispute program the Attorney General has certified. If yours does and you were told in writing how to use it, it comes first under section 681.108(1). BBB Auto Line covers Ford, GM, Hyundai and Genesis, Kia, Mazda, Nissan and Infiniti, Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley. NCDS covers Toyota and Lexus, plus Honda, Acura and Tesla bought on or after November 1, 2022. CAP Motors covers Porsche. Any other brand goes straight to the state Board.

A Fort Lauderdale example A Nissan claim goes to BBB Auto Line first and moves to the state Board if it has no decision in 40 days. A Jeep claim goes to the state Board directly

Inside 24 Months, Then 60 Days

The rights period ends 24 months after delivery, whatever the odometer says. Report the defect inside it. The Request for Arbitration then has to reach the Attorney General within 60 days after it ends, or within 30 days after a certified program's final action if that's later.

A Fort Lauderdale example A sedan delivered in Fort Lauderdale on June 3, 2025, has a rights period that ends on June 3, 2027, and a Request for Arbitration due 60 days after that

Expect pushback, and answer it with paper

Under section 681.104(4) a manufacturer may argue the fault is minor, blame a crash, misuse, poor upkeep or an aftermarket change, or say you're acting in bad faith. Paper answers most of that.

Section 681.103(4) entitles you to an itemized, legible repair order every time the car comes back from a warranty visit: the problem you reported, any test drive and how long it was, the diagnosis, the work done, the date and odometer reading in, and the date the work was finished. The Attorney General says to ask for one even when no work is done. Keep your own note of the drop-off date and the day you were told it was ready.

Can't tell whether your repair orders clear a test? Send them over and we'll check them.

Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323
Where your case is heard

Where is a Fort Lauderdale lemon law claim heard?

Downtown Fort Lauderdale holds three of the places a lemon law dispute can end up, though most claims only ever touch the first one.

The Board's Fort Lauderdale Office

The Attorney General's Fort Lauderdale office, at 110 S.E. 6th Street, is one of three that run the arbitration board. Pending cases with an FTL, MIA or WPB suffix file their papers through its mailbox, but a first Request for Arbitration still goes up to Tallahassee.

Three Panel Members, Chosen by the State

A hearing is run by three Board members appointed by the Attorney General under section 681.1095. None can work for a manufacturer or a franchised dealer, and each region must include someone with expertise in vehicle mechanics. A majority vote decides.

The Circuit Court on SE 6th Street

An appeal from the Board goes to a circuit court as a trial de novo, started within 30 days of receiving the decision. For a Broward owner that's usually the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which section 26.021(17) defines as Broward County. Its main courthouse complex is at 201 SE 6th Street, on the same street as the Attorney General's office.

The Federal Court Held in Fort Lauderdale

Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a suit can go to federal court only when at least $50,000 is in controversy across all claims. Broward belongs to the Southern District of Florida, and 28 U.S.C. section 89(c) lists Fort Lauderdale among the places it sits. A Chapter 681 claim still goes through the Attorney General first, under section 681.1095(4).

What the Board's decision sets in motion

The written decision arrives by a method that confirms delivery, with findings of fact and reasons. From the day the manufacturer receives a decision in your favor, it has 40 days to deliver the refund or an acceptable replacement. If it neither pays nor appeals, section 681.1095(10) lets the department ask a circuit court for a fine of up to $1,000 a day, until the total reaches twice the purchase price, and the court affirms your award on your application.

A manufacturer that appeals and loses pays for it. Section 681.1095(13) adds the attorney's fees you spent confirming the award, your costs, and $25 for every day past the 40. A bad-faith appeal doubles the total award, and the court may triple it. Section 681.1095(14) also lets the court make a further appeal conditional on paying your fees and posting security.

There are two more rules sitting behind every settlement talk. Section 681.115 voids any agreement that waives or limits your Chapter 681 rights, and any agreement that makes silence about its terms a condition. And section 681.113 keeps the selling dealer out of it, unless the dealer gave a written warranty of its own.

Screening in Tallahassee: incomplete forms, rejections and the second review

The Attorney General's instructions set out what happens after your request arrives. It's date-stamped on arrival, and that stamp is your filing date. Within 20 days you get a first answer on eligibility. Missing information sends the form back: you get 30 days to supply it, plus 30 more with a good reason, and after that the claim is rejected and your time to request arbitration starts running again on the mailing date of the rejection. Withdraw during screening and you can reapply, but the clock resumes the day you withdraw.

Under section 681.109(6), a claim turned down for thin evidence can be reconsidered on new information, and after a second review rejected if the evidence is clearly insufficient, with written reasons. If the department rejects the dispute, section 681.109(7) lets you sue, and the rejection is admissible. The instructions also ask for plain copies, with no highlighter, sticky notes, tabs or binders. Keep your originals for the hearing.

Choosing the appeal court when you live in one county and bought in another

Section 681.1095(10) allows the appeal petition in any of three counties: where you live, where you got the vehicle, or where the hearing was held. Many Fort Lauderdale residents buy in Miami-Dade or Palm Beach County, so the choice can be a real one, whether it's the Seventeenth Circuit in Broward, the Eleventh in Miami-Dade or the Fifteenth in Palm Beach.

The appealing side states the action it wants and why, sends the Attorney General a copy of the petition within 7 days, and reports the outcome within 15 days after the appeal ends. The Attorney General's office advises the Board but doesn't represent either side in court, and its hearings page tells anyone thinking of appealing to get a private attorney.

"Three repairs and they have to buy it back" is the version people hear at the service counter, and it leaves out the letter and the last repair chance and the program some brands require and the 60-day cutoff, so it's not much of a guide. Our note on how the lemon law works covers the basics.

Not sure whether you're still inside the Florida window? That's the first thing we check, at no cost.

  • Bring the purchase or lease contract, since the delivery date on it starts the 24 months and it shows the $2 lemon law fee.
  • Bring every repair order, with the dates and odometer readings. That shows which of the two routes fits.
  • If you already wrote to the manufacturer, bring the mail receipt along with a copy of the letter.
  • We can meet by phone or video wherever you are in Broward, or in person down at our Miami office.
Start My Free Case Review 
A Fort Lauderdale driver on the phone at home while a Florida lemon law Request for Arbitration is prepared for the Attorney General
You Stay Put

Most of a Fort Lauderdale claim happens on paper

You don't have to fight your way down I-95 to Brickell or drive all the way up to Tallahassee to bring a claim. The Request for Arbitration goes to the Attorney General by mail, or as a PDF by email under its e-filing notice: PDF only, no photos, video or audio, and nothing over 8 megabytes. Screening happens on paper, and many claims settle before anybody sets a hearing date.

Our side of it is gathering every service record and reading the dates and odometer figures and mailing the notice to the maker's Florida office, and then choosing the forum and filing on time and getting you ready to testify, and your side of it is one phone call.

How It Works

How long does a Fort Lauderdale lemon law case take?

There are five steps and they run in the order shown, and in Florida that order matters more than the repair count, because a letter sent too early or a claim filed in the wrong forum costs time the 60-day deadline doesn't give back. The clock below picks up where the Board leaves off, on the day the manufacturer receives a decision in your favor, and for the form-by-form detail there's our guide to how to file a lemon law claim.

  1. Day 0The manufacturer receives the Board's written decision in your favor
  2. Day 30Last day for the manufacturer to petition the circuit court for a new trial
  3. Day 37Latest day for the manufacturer to send the Attorney General a copy of its petition, when it files on Day 30 (7 days)
  4. Day 40Last day for the manufacturer to deliver the refund or replacement if there's no appeal. After this, fines of up to $1,000 a day can follow

Find Your Delivery Date and Your Paperwork

Everything counts from the day the car was delivered, so you start with the purchase or lease contract, and after that you go looking in the glove box and the deal jacket for three things: the warranty booklet, which must print the manufacturer's regional office address under section 681.103(2); any written notice telling you how to use a certified program; and the Attorney General's statement of your rights. The contract will also show the $2 fee section 681.117 has dealers collect on each sale.

Get an Itemized Order at Every Visit

Every trip to the service department should end with a repair order that you've actually read before driving away, with the problem in your words, the diagnosis, the work, any test drive and its length, the date in, the date finished and the odometer reading. If the advisor writes "could not duplicate," take the order anyway, since it shows you brought the problem in, and keep a note of drop-off and pick-up days too, because the 30-day route is built from them.

Write to the Manufacturer at the Right Moment

As for timing, it's right after repair visit three for the same fault or once shop days reach 15, and it goes to the manufacturer and not the dealership. Section 681.104(1) says registered or express mail. The Attorney General's optional Defect Notification form works for this, with one copy to the manufacturer with a return receipt and one for your file and one by ordinary mail to the Lemon Law Research Unit in Tallahassee. That third copy doesn't start a claim.

File in the Right Forum Before Day 60

If your brand has a certified program, file there within 60 days after the 24 months end. If it hasn't decided within 40 days, or you're unhappy with the result or how the manufacturer carries it out, go on to the state Board. Brands without a program go straight to the Attorney General. The Request for Arbitration goes to Lemon Law Arbitration Screening at the Capitol in Tallahassee, by mail or email. The Board charges no fee.

Inspection, Hearing, Then 40 Days

Approval gives the manufacturer the right to a prehearing inspection, a test drive or a diagnostic hookup but no repair, and you can be there. The Board aims to hear the case within 40 days of approval and rule within 60. Witnesses are sworn, the session runs in English, each side may question the other's witnesses, and panel members may drive the car. A manufacturer that loses has 40 days to pay or replace.

A Broward claim usually goes wrong in one of a few places, like the final letter going to the dealership on Federal Highway because that's where the car keeps going, or a Ford claim going straight to the state Board when BBB Auto Line had to see it first, or the owner trading the car in at month 25 because the dealer offered a deal, or the request reaching Tallahassee on day 61.

Some owners do all of this alone with help from the Attorney General's hotline staff, and that's fine, but the deadline doesn't wait around while you research which program has to go first. Nobody can tell you ahead of time how a panel will rule. What we can do is keep the record complete and the dates intact from start to finish.

Outcomes

What compensation can you receive?

Money or a car, and the choice is yours

A car that survives a reasonable number of repair attempts with the defect intact triggers section 681.104(2)(a). The manufacturer then has 40 days to take the car back and return the purchase price, or swap it for a vehicle you're willing to accept, with the reasonable side costs you paid on top either way. Florida calls the owner's right to insist on money unconditional. A replacement has to be identical or reasonably equivalent, which section 681.102(21) caps at 105 percent of the original's sticker price.

The refund is split between you and your lender as your interests appear, so in practice the loan is paid off and you get back what you put in. A leased car is unwound the same way: your deposit and payments come back to you, the leasing company is paid the balance, and no early termination penalty applies.

How the offset is worked out

Refund or replacement, you pay for the miles you used. The formula is in section 681.102(19), and the Attorney General's remedy guideline shows how the Board applies it:

  1. Take the base selling price from the invoice, without taxes, government fees or dealer fees. On a lease, use the agreed value in the lease, less any manufacturer rebate.
  2. Multiply by the miles you drove, up to a settlement or the hearing, whichever comes first.
  3. Divide the result by 120,000. For a recreational vehicle the divisor is 60,000.

A car with a $36,000 base price and 15,000 of your own miles carries a $4,500 offset. That only holds if the miles are yours. The guideline takes off delivery mileage, the dealer's test drives during repairs, the manufacturer's test drives at its inspection, and test drives by a program's inspectors or the Board. A manufacturer rebate paid toward your down payment usually isn't refunded, but it can reduce the offset.

What builds your side of the refund

With a car loan, it's what left your pocket: money down, each installment so far with its interest, extras you paid for separately like tint or a service contract, and your trade credit. Subtract the use charge, then add the costs the defect caused you, from tow bills and rentals to postage and repair invoices. If the dealer inflated your trade-in to absorb money you still owed on it, the Board may use the NADA Southeastern retail value less that debt, and the result can be negative.

Legal fees shift to the manufacturer when a consumer wins a Chapter 681 lawsuit, since section 681.112(1) makes the award mandatory, and when a manufacturer's appeal of a Board award fails, under section 681.1095(13). Our qualifying cases are taken on contingency. And a Florida buyback carries a mark: under section 681.114, it can't be resold without clear disclosure of the defect, and the manufacturer must warrant the fix for 1 year or 12,000 miles.

Possible Outcomes

Five things a successful Fort Lauderdale claim can bring

  • Refund

    Your money back with tax, title and other collateral charges, minus the use offset, if you prefer it to a new car

  • Replacement

    An identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle you accept, priced at no more than 105 percent of the original's sticker

  • Repair after the window

    A defect first reported inside the 24 months must still be fixed, even when the work runs past them

  • Charges and delay damages

    Tax, title, finance charges, fitted extras, towing and rentals, and $25 a day if a failed appeal delays payment

  • Attorney's fees

    Paid by the manufacturer when you win a Chapter 681 lawsuit, or when its appeal of your Board award fails

Outcomes depend on the facts of each case, so no attorney can tell you in advance what yours will be.

Manufacturers We've Taken to Court

We Take On the
Biggest Names

Vehicles We Handle

Which vehicles does the lemon law cover in Fort Lauderdale?

New cars and demonstrators sold in Florida are the core, plus leases of twelve months or longer that make you handle repairs. The exclusion list in section 681.102(14) is short: off-road and rail-only vehicles, trucks rated above 10,000 pounds, motorcycles, mopeds, e-bikes, and a motorhome's living areas. A car passed directly from one consumer to another inside the first 24 months may stay covered. Where the state law stops, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act often picks up. Pick a category to see where it stands.

Cars, SUVs and Light Trucks

Covered, and most claims live here: sedans, crossovers, family SUVs and half-ton pickups with transmission, electrical, air conditioning and water-leak faults that keep coming back. Buying a demonstrator off the showroom floor counts as buying new. The vehicle has to be bought or leased mainly for personal, family or household use. See our practice areas.

Heavy-Duty and Diesel Pickups

Read the rating on the driver's door jamb. At 10,000 pounds or under, a diesel pickup is covered like any car. Over it, Chapter 681 doesn't apply, and the claim runs on the written warranty and federal law. Some one-ton trucks sit over that line. Derate and exhaust-fluid faults are the pattern we see most. See our diesel emissions lemon law guide.

Motorcycles, Mopeds and E-Bikes

Not covered by Chapter 681. Motorcycles, mopeds and electric bicycles are excluded by name in section 681.102(14). A rider whose bike keeps failing under its written warranty can look to federal Magnuson-Moss law instead. For more information, see our motorcycle lemon law guide.

RVs and Motorhomes

Yes, through their own forum. Motorhome owners apply to the RV Mediation and Arbitration Program under section 681.1097, due 60 days after the 24 months run out. Mediation comes first. If it stalls, one arbitrator, never the mediator, rules within 10 days of closing the hearing, and the whole process should finish inside 70 days. The thresholds shift to 60 shop days, a 45-day final repair, and a 60,000 divisor. See our RV and motorhome lemon law guide.

Electric Vehicles

Covered like any other new vehicle. Charging faults, drive-unit failures, battery warnings and software that breaks something with each update are the patterns we see. Check the forum first: a Tesla bought on or after November 1, 2022, goes to NCDS before the state Board, and Hyundai, Kia, Ford and GM go to BBB Auto Line. See our electric vehicle lemon law guide.

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Client Stories

What Our Clients Say

Real results from real clients who trusted
RockPoint Law with their lemon law claims.

I contacted RockPoint Law in July 2025 and by mid Jan 2026, I had received my settlement proceeds. A mid 5-figure loan was paid off and the manufacturer took possession of the vehicle. Not having that car payment and the mandatory full coverage freed up about $900/month. If you're on the fence about calling RockPoint Law, let it go. The relief you will feel when it all works out will be soooo worth it.

Read more
HJ
Henry Jose
Google Review

Was having nothing but issues with the DEF system in my Ram 3500. I didn't have high hopes because 3500 trucks are generally excluded from lemon law. The entire process from the time I contacted RockPoint Law to the time I received my settlement was under 6 months! Their response times were well above expectations.

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JR
Joe Russo
Google Review

My Telluride's transmission would jerk so hard between gears that my coffee would spill. Dealer had it four times. When I called RockPoint Law, they asked the exact technical question I'd been researching for weeks. We got a buyback with reimbursement for my deductible and rental costs. They speak fluent mechanic before they speak lawyer.

Read more
K
Kirill
Google Review

Turbo failure on my EcoBoost F-150. Dealer replaced it once, then denied the second. Steven Nassi compared my case to known manufacturing defects for that engine. Other lawyers just saw 'engine trouble.' Steven built the argument around the known defect pattern. Secured a full refund.

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JR
Joshua Ragsdale
Google Review

Our minivan's sliding door would just stop working. Not a great feature with little kids. Tried to get it fixed under warranty three times. Final straw was when it almost closed on my son's arm. Leo was our attorney and got us a great outcome. They handled everything from start to finish.

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JG
Jorge Garcia
Google Review

My family's cross-country road trip turned into a nightmare when our brand-new SUV broke down in three different states. Each dealership kept giving us the run-around. RockPoint Law tracked every failed repair, hotel receipt, and even our unused theme park tickets. They got us a full buyback plus $8,200 for the vacation that fell apart.

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AG
Adam Gore
Google Review

The active suspension in my Ram 1500 started making a loud 'clunk' on every bump. Dealer replaced one part but the noise just moved to another corner. After the third repair, I was done. Natalie Nassi said, 'A repeated failure of a major chassis component is a clear impairment to value and use.' She didn't see a noise; she saw a failed system.

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PM
Piyawan Maprakhon
Google Review

My car is basically my mobile office. When the electrical system fried two laptops and killed my productivity, I reached out to RockPoint Law. Unlike the dealer who treated me as a nuisance, RockPoint Law saw how it impacted my ability to work. They secured a full refund on the vehicle plus $6,500 for lost income and equipment.

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SK
Sadie Kim
Google Review

The manufacturer told me I was out of luck. RockPoint Law told me otherwise — and proved it! Their lemon law experience turned my nightmare into a fair resolution. What impressed me most was their transparency — no false claims, just hard facts and harder work. Worth every penny and then some!

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KE
Kevin Eimuth
Google Review

From the moment I walked into their office shaking with frustration, the team at RockPoint Law put me at ease. They listened patiently to my whole story, then laid out a clear game plan. Six weeks later, I was holding a check that made all those repair shop trips worth it. True professionals who deliver!

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JB
Jatt James Bond
Google Review

We had two vans with the same transmission failure. RockPoint Law consolidated both claims, lined up build dates, and pushed for an extended coverage fix. Both vans were repaired, and we got downtime reimbursed.

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KS
Kishan Singh
Google Review

The hands-free liftgate on my SUV would randomly open in my garage, denting the door. I felt crazy complaining about a 'convenience feature.' Our attorney reframed it: 'An uncontrolled operation of a motorized component is a safety and property damage risk.' The team used my security camera footage as evidence. We got a solid settlement.

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PS
Peyman Soleimani
Google Review
Why RockPoint

Why Fort Lauderdale drivers choose RockPoint Law

Lemon law and warranty disputes are the core of our practice, and a Broward claim gets built out of repair orders and one well-timed letter and a filing with the Attorney General, which is work we do for owners all the way from Harbor Beach up to Imperial Point.

Lemon Law Is Our Core Practice

It's not a side practice for us, since warranty and lemon law is what we're working on every day, and the people we're doing it for are drivers who wound up with defective vehicles.

Honest About Where We Are

We don't have a Fort Lauderdale office and your claim doesn't need one, and our Florida office is in Miami, which you can reach on Brightline from its station at 101 NW 2nd Avenue or on Tri-Rail from the station off Broward Boulevard, though most clients never make the trip. Our Florida lemon law page provides the statewide overview.

We Know the Broward Venues

There's the Attorney General's Fort Lauderdale office for the arbitration file and the Seventeenth Circuit for an appeal and the Southern District for a large federal warranty claim, and we know which one of those your case belongs in.

Clear Communication

You get straight updates at every stage of your case, so there aren't any long silences and there aren't any surprises waiting for you either.

No Upfront Legal Fees

Qualifying cases run on contingency so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover for you, and the state Board charges you nothing to hear the case either.

Meet the Team →
Our Story

Meet the Firm Behind Your Claim

The same attorneys who handle claims nationwide handle them here. Two minutes on who we are and how we work.

Side-by-Side

Do I need a lemon law attorney in Fort Lauderdale?

What you've got here is a Fort Lauderdale claim run two different ways, by the owner alone and then with an attorney, and flipping the switch takes you between the two so you can see the same four moments from each side.

Vehicle repair invoices spread across a kitchen table with a hand hovering over them
On your own1 / 4

Trading the car in before the claim is decided

The dealer comes along with a trade-in deal, and when you're frustrated enough that's tempting. The Attorney General's hearing procedures say you must currently own or possess the vehicle to be eligible for a hearing. If you sign the trade-in, the claim you spent months building may go right out the door with the car.

A person on the phone at a home desk with a notepad of call notes
On your own2 / 4

Sending the final letter to the dealership

The service department is the place you know, and so that's naturally where the complaint ends up going. Section 681.104(1) wants the letter at the manufacturer, by registered or express mail, at the regional address in your warranty booklet. Without it, the final-attempt step never starts.

A wall calendar with deadline dates circled in red beside a set of car keys
On your own3 / 4

Treating the manufacturer's inspection as a formality

The prehearing inspection is the manufacturer's look at your car before the panel gets one, and if you skip it or let it happen without you there, you lose the chance to see what its technician tested and note the miles driven and hear what it's going to say at the hearing.

One person alone at the end of a long empty hearing room table
On your own4 / 4

Taking the manufacturer's refund figure as final

If the figure they give you was worked out from the full invoice and the full odometer, it leaves money behind. The offset uses the base price without taxes and fees, test-drive miles come off, and a manufacturer rebate can bring it down.

Hands working through an organized stack of repair orders with a highlighter and index tabs
With RockPoint Law1 / 4

You keep the car, and the claim, until it is decided

We tell you early on what the possession rule means for trade-in offers and loan payments and insurance, so that nothing you sign in the middle of the claim ends it.

A certified mail envelope and return receipt card being prepared on a desk
With RockPoint Law2 / 4

The letter goes to the right address at the right time

We send it to the manufacturer's Florida regional office by registered or express mail at the third repair or the 15th day, and then the return receipt goes into the file and stays there.

An open case planner with color-coded deadline tabs being marked
With RockPoint Law3 / 4

Someone beside you at the inspection

We work out the inspection time with the manufacturer and record the odometer before and after, and then we ask for its findings before the hearing.

A bound exhibit folder open on a conference table
With RockPoint Law4 / 4

Every mile and every trade-in dollar checked

We strip out the non-consumer miles and apply any rebate and check the trade-in against the NADA Southeastern guide, and after that the result gets compared with the Attorney General's guideline.

Serving Fort Lauderdale and Broward County

On the ground in Fort Lauderdale

The largest city in a county of two million

Fort Lauderdale had 188,677 residents on the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025, estimate, the largest city in Broward County and the tenth largest in Florida. Broward counted 2,013,317, second in the state only to Miami-Dade. A county that size produces a steady stream of new-car purchases, and a steady stream of the ones that go wrong.

One street, two of the places a claim can go

Downtown's SE 6th Street carries both. The Attorney General's Fort Lauderdale office, in The 110 Tower at 110 S.E. 6th Street, lists a Lemon Law department. The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit's main courthouse complex is at 201 SE 6th Street. None of that means you have to go downtown. The first filing goes to Tallahassee, the Board picks a hearing place convenient for you, and most claims end in a settlement or a single hearing.

The Board's regions, and what the letters on a case number mean

Section 681.1095(1) lets the Attorney General divide the Board into as many regions as it needs, and subsection (3) caps each at eight members, at least one with vehicle mechanics expertise. In 2019, when the Attorney General last advertised for arbitrators, it listed ten regions: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

The current e-filing notice sorts pending cases by the suffix on the case number. FTL, MIA and WPB cases file through the Fort Lauderdale mailbox. JAX, PEN and TLH go through Tallahassee, and FTM, ORL, STP and TPA through Tampa. Every first-time request, whatever the region, starts in Tallahassee.

Where Fort Lauderdale buys its cars

Federal Highway, US-1, carries franchised new-car dealerships through the city, north and south of downtown. Whichever showroom sold the car, your claim runs against the manufacturer. The dealership is a witness: its repair orders are the evidence. Its sales contract also carries a small line most buyers never notice, the $2 fee that goes through the county tax collector to the Motor Vehicle Warranty Trust Fund. The same dealer had to give you the Attorney General's written statement of your rights at signing and keep your signed receipt for three years.

We take lemon law claims from every Fort Lauderdale neighborhood, including:

  • Downtown Fort Lauderdale
  • Flagler Village
  • Victoria Park
  • Rio Vista
  • Sailboat Bend
  • Tarpon River
  • Croissant Park
  • Harbordale
  • Coral Ridge
  • Galt Mile
  • Imperial Point
  • Riverland

And from the rest of Broward County too. Elsewhere in Florida, our Florida lemon law page covers the whole state.

How to reach us

The quickest way to start is the online intake form. We review every request and respond as soon as we can. Or call (516) 550-3323. To meet in person, our Florida office is in Miami on Brickell Avenue, and both Brightline and Tri-Rail run from Fort Lauderdale to Miami.

Prefer to research first? The Attorney General's Lemon Law section has the request form, the certified-program list and a lookup of reported buybacks, and our article on recall repairs a dealer turns down deals with a neighboring issue.

Case Results

Recent RockPoint Law recoveries

A word on these before you scroll past. They come from the settlement record our firm publishes for lemon law cases, across brands, and so they're firmwide results and not Fort Lauderdale outcomes, and we think you ought to know that up front. The point of showing them is that they give you a feel for what a well-documented defect claim can be worth when it's handled properly, while a claim on your own car would stand on its own facts.

$160,264 BMW X6

Recovery on a vehicle with engine, electrical and suspension defects.

$144,550 Porsche Macan

Recovery on a Macan with suspension, drivetrain, electrical and HVAC problems.

$110,289 Rivian R1T

Recovery after electrical, engine and suspension failures on an electric pickup.

Figures are drawn from our firm's published settlement record and are not specific to Fort Lauderdale matters. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. See more RockPoint Law settlements 

RockPoint Law, by the numbers

$50M+**
Recovered for clients
3,000+‡
Cases handled
25+
Years of combined experience
97%*
Resolution rate
  • Free Consultation
  • No attorney's fees unless we recover for you.†
Recent Google reviewsAcross all RockPoint offices: 4.8 from 19 Google reviews
  • ★★★★★a month ago
    I had a really good experience with RockPoint Law. The whole process was a lot easier than I expected and everyone I dealt with was helpful and responsive. Whenever I had a question, I was able to get an answer without feeling like I was chasing anyone down. They handled everything and kept me updated along the way. Definitely glad I reached out to them.
    Ronen S. Malekmehr
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law and wasn't sure. Called anyway because I was at my wit's end. Natalie Nassi answered and she remembered me from somewhere else. Same calm voice, same no-nonsense approach. She took my case and handled everything. Manufacturer bought the car back. Name on the door changed but Natalie didn't. That's what matters to me.
    Tanja Moldenhauer
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law online and wasn't sure because I hadn't heard of them. But I was desperate. My car had been in and out of the shop for months. Called them up and the person I spoke with was so easy to talk to. No legal mumbo jumbo, just straight talk. They took my case and got me a buyback. New name but they know what they're doing. Would recommend.
    Rodolfo Paulino
2 more Google reviews
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Honestly wasn't sure about RockPoint Law since I hadn't heard of them before. But I was desperate. My car had been in the shop five times for the same problem and nobody could figure it out. Service advisor started avoiding my calls. I found RockPoint online, called, and the person I talked to was really down to earth. They took my repair orders and handled the whole thing. A few months later, the manufacturer bought the car back. New name but they got it done. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
    Om Shiv
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law pop up when I was googling lemon law help. Wasn't sure about the name but figured I'd give it a shot. My Jeep Gladiator had a death wobble at highway speeds—front end would shake violently. Dealer replaced the steering stabilizer twice, still shook. The person I talked to at RockPoint was super calm and explained everything clearly. They handled the claim and Jeep bought the truck back. Glad I didn't let the new name scare me off. They got the job done.
    Víctor Torres

About this page

Written and edited by the RockPoint Law content team. Prepared September 2026 to reflect the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes, Secs. 681.10 through 681.118, administered by the Office of the Attorney General. See our editorial policy.

Anyone can check a Florida attorney's license and public discipline record in The Florida Bar's own member directory. We think you should, for any firm you're considering, including this one.

Start here

Tell us what the car is doing in Fort Lauderdale

Three details about the vehicle, and how to reach you.

  • The year and make of your vehicle
  • What the dealer has already tried, and whether you paid for it
  • Your name, phone and email. We review every request and respond as soon as we can

No cost, no obligation. Contacting RockPoint Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Check my case Start My Free Case Review Or call (516) 550-3323
Our Team

Meet the Team
Behind RockPoint Law

A dedicated team that stands with you through every step of your Lemon Law claim.

Steven Nassi
Steven Nassi
Managing Partner
Founder · 25+ years of litigation experience
★ Founder & Managing Partner
Natalie Nassi
Natalie Nassi
Managing Partner
Columbia University · 20+ years in consumer advocacy
Ron Kaniuk
Ron Kaniuk
Florida Managing Partner
St. John's University School of Law · Consumer protection & lemon law
Aaron Waldo
Aaron Waldo
Attorney
U.S. Marine Corps veteran · Automotive background
Liam Jones
Liam Jones
Attorney
Licensed in New York & New Jersey
Christian Garcia
Christian Garcia
Senior Case Manager
Case management from intake through resolution
Rudy Gutierrez
Rudy Gutierrez
Intake Manager
First point of contact for new clients & case evaluations
FAQ

Fort Lauderdale lemon law questions

The questions Broward drivers ask us most, and what to know before you send anything.

Do I need a Fort Lauderdale lemon law attorney, or can I file on my own?

You can file on your own, and an attorney isn't required at a Board hearing. People hire one for the parts that go wrong: the letter, the forum and the dates.

You can file on your own. The Attorney General's office says representation by an attorney is not required at a Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board hearing, and the Board charges you nothing to hear the case. People hire a lawyer for the parts that go wrong quietly. The written notice has to reach the manufacturer, not the Fort Lauderdale dealer. Some brands must go through a certified program before the state Board will listen. The arbitration request has a hard deadline tied to your delivery date. And the manufacturer may send its own attorney to cross-examine you. If you win a lawsuit under the chapter, section 681.112(1) requires the court to award reasonable attorney's fees. At RockPoint Law the first review costs nothing, and qualifying cases run on contingency.

Is there a lemon law office in Fort Lauderdale?

Yes, the Attorney General's office at 110 S.E. 6th Street lists a Lemon Law department, but a new claim starts with the screening unit in Tallahassee.

Yes, though you cannot start a claim there. The Attorney General lists a Lemon Law department at its Fort Lauderdale office in The 110 Tower, 110 S.E. 6th Street. It is one of three offices, with Tallahassee and Tampa, that administer the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board. The first filing still goes to Tallahassee: the Request for Arbitration is mailed to Lemon Law Arbitration Screening at the Capitol, or emailed there as a PDF. Once a case is approved, it is assigned to a regional office, and the Attorney General's e-filing notice sends documents in cases with an FTL, MIA or WPB suffix to the Fort Lauderdale mailbox. RockPoint Law has no office in Fort Lauderdale; our Florida office is in Miami.

Where would a Broward County lemon law hearing be held?

At a location reasonably convenient for you. Section 681.1095(2) has the Board hear cases in various places around the state.

Close to you, if the Board follows its own rules. Section 681.1095(2) requires the Board to hear cases in various locations so that a consumer can attend at a reasonably convenient place and present the dispute in person. When the Attorney General last recruited arbitrators, in 2019, it listed ten Board regions, Fort Lauderdale among them, and said hearings are held in those cities or nearby. Hearings take place on weekdays during business hours, usually last two to four hours, and are open to the public. The Attorney General suggests watching someone else's hearing before your own, and the board administrator named in your Notice of Arbitration can tell you when one is scheduled in your area. Bring copies of every document you filed.

Which court hears a Fort Lauderdale lemon law appeal?

Usually the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Broward's circuit court, located at 201 SE 6th Street. The petition is due within 30 days.

For most people who live here, the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Section 26.021(17) makes Broward County its whole territory, and the main courthouse complex sits at 201 SE 6th Street downtown. The clock is short: a petition is due 30 days after the Board's written decision arrives. Nothing from the arbitration binds the judge, because section 681.1095(12) requires a trial de novo, so the case is tried again from the start. Broward is not the only option. Venue also lies in the county where the car was acquired or where the panel sat, and whichever side appeals owes the Attorney General a copy inside a week. Should the judge confirm your award, the manufacturer adds your legal fees, costs and $25 for each day beyond its 40.

I live in Fort Lauderdale but bought the car in Miami-Dade. Where does my claim go?

Nowhere different at the start. The law and the Board are the same in both counties. The difference shows up later, in where an appeal can be filed.

Nowhere different at the start. Chapter 681 is one statewide law, and section 681.116 stops any county or city from writing its own version, so the tests, the 24 months and the Board are the same on both sides of the county line. The difference shows up later. If the Board's decision is appealed, section 681.1095(10) lets the petition be filed in the county where you live, the county where you acquired the vehicle, or the county where the hearing was held. For you that could mean Broward's Seventeenth Circuit or Miami-Dade's Eleventh. The Attorney General also routes pending cases with FTL and MIA suffixes to the same Fort Lauderdale mailbox. Which courthouse suits your case is a strategy question we answer case by case.

What are the Florida lemon law requirements for a Fort Lauderdale driver?

A new or demonstrator vehicle sold in Florida, used mainly for personal purposes, with a defect reported within 24 months that survives the repair tests.

Four things have to line up. The vehicle must be new or a demonstrator, sold in Florida, and used mainly for personal, family or household purposes. The defect must substantially impair its use, value or safety, and you must have first reported it within 24 months of delivery; there is no mileage limit. Then one of the two presumptions in section 681.104(3) has to fit: the same defect repaired three times plus a final attempt after written notice, or 30 cumulative days out of service for one or more defects after a written notice at 15 days. Last, the claim has to reach the right forum on time: a certified program first where your brand has one, and the Attorney General within 60 days after the 24 months end.

How is a lemon law repurchase calculated in Florida?

Money in, minus a charge for use: base price times your miles, divided by 120,000, with non-consumer miles and rebates taken into account.

Think of it as money in, minus a charge for use. The use charge comes from section 681.102(19): price the car at its invoice base, with no taxes or fees, multiply that by the miles that are genuinely yours as of the earlier of settlement or hearing, then split the product 120,000 ways. So $36,000 and 15,000 miles gives $4,500. Odometer miles at delivery are not yours, and neither are service-lane road tests or the drives an inspector or panel takes. The Attorney General's guideline adds that a manufacturer rebate usually is not refunded but can reduce the offset, and that on a lease the calculation starts from the agreed-upon value. Collateral and incidental charges are added back on top.

Do I have to keep the car and keep paying the loan while the claim is pending?

Yes to both. You must own or possess the car to be eligible for a hearing, and the loan payments continue while the claim is pending.

Yes to both. The Attorney General's hearing procedures say a consumer must currently own or possess the vehicle to be eligible for an arbitration hearing, so selling it or trading it in part-way through can end the claim. The same guidance says a lemon law proceeding does not change what you owe your lender or leasing company. Keep making the payments. If the Board awards a refund, or you settle for one, the manufacturer pays off the loan or lease under the statute or the settlement terms, and the payments you made are part of what comes back to you, less the offset for use. On a lease, section 681.104(2)(b) also bars any early termination penalty. Keep the car insured and serviced on schedule, and keep every maintenance receipt.

Can the manufacturer inspect my car before the hearing?

Yes. Once your claim is approved, the manufacturer can inspect and test-drive the car before the hearing, but it can't repair it.

Yes. The Attorney General's hearing procedures give a manufacturer the right to a prehearing inspection once your claim is approved for arbitration. It is an inspection only: the manufacturer may test-drive the vehicle or connect diagnostic equipment, but it is not allowed to carry out more repairs. It should happen at a mutually agreeable time and place, and you have the right to be present for the whole inspection unless you waive that in writing. Whatever the manufacturer learns has to be shared with you before the hearing. Treat it like any service visit. Note the odometer before and after, because inspection test-drive miles are non-consumer miles that should not count against you in the offset, and ask for anything written about the result.

What is the Consumer Guide to the Florida Lemon Law, and should the dealer have given it to me?

The Attorney General's booklet explaining your rights. The dealer was supposed to hand it to you when you took the vehicle.

It is the Attorney General's booklet explaining your rights, and yes, you should have received it. Section 681.103(3) requires the manufacturer to supply a written statement of your rights to the dealer, and the dealer to hand it to you when you take the vehicle. The statement carries a toll-free number for the Attorney General's office. Your signed acknowledgment that you received it is evidence the dealer complied, and the dealer must keep that acknowledgment for 3 years. Check the purchase paperwork you signed for it. The same section requires a manufacturer with a certified program to tell you in writing how and where to file with it, and if it did not, that affects whether the program has to come first.

Can a Fort Lauderdale lemon law case go to federal court?

It can, through federal warranty law, if $50,000 or more is in dispute. The Southern District of Florida sits in Fort Lauderdale.

It can, though the door is federal warranty law, not the Florida chapter. A Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act suit qualifies for federal court only if everything in dispute adds up to $50,000 or more, under 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d)(3). Smaller claims stay in state court. Fort Lauderdale is one of five cities where the Southern District of Florida holds court, according to 28 U.S.C. section 89(c), and Broward is inside that district. If you finally prevail, the judge has discretion to shift your costs and a fee measured by the hours your lawyer actually worked. For a new car there is still a required first stop: section 681.1095(4) puts the Attorney General's process ahead of any Chapter 681 lawsuit.

Who pays the attorney fees in a Florida lemon law case?

Usually the manufacturer, if you win. A court awards a prevailing consumer reasonable attorney's fees under section 681.112(1).

Usually the manufacturer, if you win. Section 681.112(1) says the court shall award a consumer who prevails in a lawsuit under the chapter reasonable attorney's fees and litigation costs, along with any pecuniary loss. If a manufacturer appeals a Board award and the court upholds it, section 681.1095(13) adds the fees incurred in confirming the award. The federal Magnuson-Moss Act has its own fee provision. The rule also cuts the other way: under section 681.106, a consumer whose claim a court finds was filed in bad faith or purely to harass pays the manufacturer's fees. At RockPoint Law, qualifying cases run on contingency, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover for you, and the first review is free.

Don't take on the manufacturer alone.

Tell us the vehicle and what the dealer has already tried. No fee unless we recover for you.†

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