On this day in 1982, in response to an increasing number of consumer complaints concerning the purchase of defective new automobiles (colloquially known as “lemons”), the Connecticut legislature passed the nation’s first “Lemon Law.”  Introduced by freshman representative John J. Woodcock III of West Hartford, the law was loosely modeled on a set of consumer protections for automobile buyers that had been introduced — and rejected by — the California state legislature two years earlier.

Connecticut’s “Lemon Law” — formally titled “An Act Concerning Automobile Warranties” — strengthened legal protections for consumers who were seeking repairs for faulty vehicles and established time limits for dealers and manufacturers to repair defects that were covered under warranty.  Furthermore, if the vehicle’s issues could not be repaired within four attempts, the manufacturer was required to either replace the automobile or else provide a full refund to the consumer.  After the law’s successful passage on June 4, 1982, state representative Woodcock continued to make a name for himself as one of Connecticut’s leading consumer advocates, later focusing on the successful passage of a lemon law for used cars (the first lemon law only addressed new vehicles), and a law against odometer tampering.

Connecticut’s bold stand for automobile consumer protections made waves in both the national news and other state legislatures.  Today, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have their own sets of lemon laws.  Over thirty years after it became the first “Lemon Law” in the United States, Connecticut’s “Automobile Warranties” statue is still going strong: in 2017, the state Department of Consumer Protection processed 64 cases relating to the Lemon Law, resulting in over $2,300,000 being returned to Connecticut car buyers.

Further Reading

“John J. Woodcock III Lemon Law Records,” Central Connecticut State University Library

Joseph Malinconico, “Changes Are Planned For State’s Lemon Law,” New York Times