New Mexico Lemon Law Attorneys

At Feferman, Warren & Mattison, we understand how frustrating it can be when you’ve purchased a vehicle that isn’t what you were promised. You may have started searching for “New Mexico lemon law attorneys” after discovering problems with your car, truck, or SUV. That’s understandable. Many consumers turn to lemon law as a catch-all phrase when they’re dealing with serious vehicle issues. However, most of the cases we handle are not new vehicle lemon law claims. Instead, our firm focuses on auto fraud and dealership deception, which are often the root cause of a vehicle’s hidden problems.

If you believe you’ve been lied to by a car dealer, sold a wrecked vehicle, or misled about your car’s history or condition, you may have a legal claim under New Mexico’s strong consumer protection laws–even if your situation doesn’t fall under the state’s lemon law statutes.

What Is Lemon Law–and Why Our Attorneys Don’t Typically Handle It

Lemon law generally applies to new vehicles that have a substantial defect covered by warranty, which the manufacturer has been unable to fix after a reasonable number of repair attempts. This law is mostly intended to protect buyers of new cars that turn out to be defective from the beginning.

New Mexico also has a lemon law for some used vehicle purchases, if the vehicle has a substantial mechanical issue within the first 15 days/500 miles.  Sometimes the attorneys at Feferman, Warren & Mattison can help with these cases.

However, our practice is more committed to fraud, misrepresentation, or failed to disclose important facts. If your vehicle’s problems are the result of deceptive practices, such as misrepresenting the mileage, or misrepresenting the condition or history of the vehicle,  that’s where Feferman, Warren & Mattison comes in. Our attorneys have decades of experience holding dealers and finance companies accountable for fraud and unfair business practices.

Common Auto Fraud Issues We Handle

You may have purchased a vehicle thinking it was safe, reliable, and had a clean history. But sometimes, the truth comes out only after the sale is final. We see several types of fraud that happen in New Mexico car sales, including the following:

• Undisclosed prior accidents or damage: Dealers must tell you if the vehicle you’re buying has been in a major wreck. If they fail to disclose this, and the vehicle later has mechanical or structural issues, you may have a claim if the dealer knowingly failed to tell you about this prior damage.
• Odometer fraud: misrepresenting the mileage on a vehicle to make the car appear to have lower mileage is illegal. It also greatly inflates the value of the car under false pretenses.
• Salvage or branded title concealment: Vehicles with titles marked as “salvage,” “rebuilt,” or “flood” must be disclosed. Hiding this information from the buyer is a serious form of fraud.
• “Yo-yo” financing scams: After the buyer drives off the lot, some dealerships call them back, claiming the financing fell through. This bait-and-switch tactic often results in higher interest rates or worse loan terms.
• Add-on product fraud: Some dealers pack financing contracts with service contracts, GAP insurance, or other add-ons the customer never agreed to or was misled about.
• sometimes dealers will misrepresent information about you on the credit applications it submits to lenders on your behalf, such as inflating your income.

If any of this sounds familiar, you may have a legal claim under the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act (UPA) or for fraud, even if your issue isn’t technically a lemon law case.

What to Do If You Suspect You’ve Been Misled

If you believe the dealership lied to you or failed to disclose critical information about your vehicle, don’t assume you’re out of options just because your car is used or outside of a warranty. Many consumers think they are stuck with the car or that it was just “bad luck,” but often it’s much more than that–it’s fraud. Here are some of the most important steps you can take:

• Gather all documentation: Contracts, financing paperwork, vehicle history reports, repair records, text messages or emails with the dealer–anything that could support your claim.
• Contact a consumer protection attorney: At Feferman, Warren & Mattison, we can evaluate whether you have a valid claim under state or federal consumer protection laws. Our consultations are confidential, and we will always be honest about your legal options.

Why Consumers Search for Lemon Law Attorneys–Even When It’s Not Lemon Law

Most people don’t know what to call their situation. They just know they were wronged.

When a newly purchased car breaks down, rattles, leaks, or becomes unsafe to drive, the first thing many do is search online for “lemon law lawyer near me.” That makes sense. But lemon law is a very specific legal concept. It’s not designed to protect against fraud–it’s designed to make manufacturers fix vehicles with manufacturing defects that appear early in ownership.

The kinds of cases we handle are often more serious than just a defective part. They involve intentional deception, cover-ups, or predatory lending practices–especially when dealers target low-income or vulnerable consumers.

We take cases where the law can be used to hold the business accountable and recover damages for our clients.

Contact Our Car Dealership Fraud Lawyers Today

Feferman, Warren & Mattison is not a volume practice. Our car dealership fraud lawyers take a select number of cases where we believe our legal action will make a difference, not only for the individual client, but for other consumers as well. When a car dealer defrauds you, it should be held responsible.

We are based in Albuquerque, and we represent clients across New Mexico. Whether you’re in Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Farmington, Roswell, or right here in Bernalillo County, we may be able to help. If you’re searching for a New Mexico lemon law attorney, but think there might be more to the story, reach out to us. Simply contact us today so we can assess the circumstances of your case and, from there, begin building a comprehensive strategy to get you the justice you deserve.