Rockville Lemon Law

Rockville residents file at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, located in the Judge Paul A. McGuckian Courthouse at 50 Maryland Avenue in downtown Rockville itself. This is the largest Circuit Court in Maryland by case volume. Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1502 permits filing in either the county where you reside or where you bought or leased the vehicle. If you purchased at a DC, Virginia, or other Maryland dealer, you may file in that jurisdiction.

I-270 commutes don't disqualify you, but stop-and-go congestion accelerates wear on transmissions, brakes, and HVAC systems while also pushing many drivers past the 18,000-mile mileage cap under Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1501(e). The first signs of a defect should be reported to the dealer immediately to preserve statutory rights. Document every dealer visit with written repair orders — the same nonconformity must be subject to four or more repair attempts (or one for a safety-related brake/steering failure) for the presumption to apply.

Yes. Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1501(d) covers motor vehicles under 10,000 pounds GVWR used primarily for personal use, with no purchase-price cap. Virtually all Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid passenger vehicles sold in Rockville qualify. Common EV nonconformities — battery thermal management failures, charging-port faults, persistent software bugs affecting drivability — qualify if the same defect persists through four or more repair attempts (or one for a safety-related brake/steering failure).

Yes. Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1501(c) expressly covers leased motor vehicles. Rockville lessees receive the same 24-month / 18,000-mile coverage window and may demand either a comparable replacement vehicle or a full refund. The manufacturer refunds your down payment, taxes, registration fees, and lease payments through the buyback date, and separately settles the residual value with the lessor so you are released from further lease obligations.

Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1502(d) sets a three-year statute of limitations measured from the date of original delivery of the vehicle. You must have first reported the defect to the dealer or manufacturer within the 24-month / 18,000-mile rights period to invoke the statutory repair-attempt presumption. Federal Magnuson-Moss and UCC § 2-725 breach-of-warranty claims add a four-year window, all filable in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County right in downtown Rockville.

Yes, statewide. Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1502(b)(1) provides that one repair attempt is enough if the defect is a failure of the braking or steering systems that causes the vehicle to fail Maryland's state safety inspection. Critically, no use offset may be deducted from your refund in this scenario, meaning you recover the full purchase price regardless of miles driven on I-270, the Beltway, Rockville Pike, or local Rockville roads.

Yes. Under Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1502(g), the manufacturer must pay all reasonable attorney's fees, filing fees, and reasonable engineering expert witness fees of a prevailing consumer. This fee-shifting provision means most Montgomery County lemon law attorneys take qualifying cases on contingency with no out-of-pocket cost. The fees are paid by the manufacturer in addition to your refund or replacement vehicle, not deducted from it, making the law viable for vehicles across all price ranges.