State-Certified, Manufacturer-Sponsored Programs

1. The following manufacturers sponsor the BBB/AUTOLINE program and are certified by the State:

2. The following manufacturer also sponsors the BBB/AUTOLINE and effective for motor vehicles acquired on or after May 27, 2005, is certified by the State:

Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln and Mercury)

3. The following manufacturer also sponsors the BBB/AUTOLINE and effective for motor vehicles acquired on or after December 21, 2007, is certified by the State:

Mazda Motor of America, Inc.

Porsche
Toyota and Lexus

If your vehicle is made by any manufacturer listed above, the manufacturer must, at the time of purchase or lease, provide you with written information regarding how and where to file a claim with the State-certified program. Check your warranty book or owner's manual, or a separate supplement included with your purchase/lease materials. If the manufacturer has met these requirements, then you must first apply to the state-certified, manufacturer-sponsored program before you are eligible for a hearing before the Fla. New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board administered by the Office of the Attorney General. DO NOT DELAY! You must apply with the manufacturer-sponsored, state-certified program within 60 days after the expiration of the "Lemon Law rights period," which is 24 months from the date of delivery of your vehicle to you.

If the BBB/AUTOLINE or NCDS, whichever is applicable, does not make a decision within 40 days of the date you apply, or if you are not satisfied with the Program’s decision for any reason, then you are eligible to file for arbitration with the Fla. New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, the state-run arbitration program. DO NOT DELAY! You must file with the state-run Program within 60 days of the expiration of your Lemon Law rights period, or 30 days of the final action of the BBB/AUTOLINE or NCDS, whichever date is later. Call the Lemon Law Hotline 1-800-321-5366 (850-488-2221 out-of-state or in Tallahassee) or click here to get a New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board Request for Arbitration form.

If your vehicle is made by any manufacturer not listed above, then you are NOT required to submit to any manufacturer-sponsored program before filing with the state run arbitration program. This is very important because the time for filing your claim with the State of Florida may not be extended during participation in a manufacturer-sponsored program which is not certified by the State. If you go through a manufacturer-sponsored arbitration or mediation program that is not state-certified before filing with the state, you may run out of time to file with the state.

These Manufacturers sponsor programs that have NOT been certified by the state and you are NOT REQUIRED to use them to preserve your rights under the Lemon Law:

• DaimlerChrysler (Customer Arbitration Board);
• Ford Motor Company (Dispute Settlement Board); NOTE, this is a different program from the BBB/AUTOLINE program.

Some manufacturers who do not offer state-certified programs may, either through written materials (e.g. the address in the warranty for sending written notification may be the same as the address for filing a claim with a non-certified program), customer service call numbers or their dealers, attempt to encourage you to make use of these programs. BE AWARE that submitting a claim to a non-certified manufacturer-sponsored program may cost you valuable time and your Lemon Law rights.