About | Lemon Register

The Lemon Register was created to assist Australian consumers with getting a refund/repair or even a replacement if they buy a lemon. Prospective buyers can also do research prior to purchasing a vehicle in Australia. While mass producing any product, lemons can be expected. However it is how the companies deal with the problem that causes all the issues.

If you are sold a lemon, it should be replaced. No questions asked. However in my experience and many others, you are ignored.

By listing your Lemon on the register you are making the data publicly available so anyone looking to buy a car can see how dealerships deal with lemons and also to make sure you are not buying a lemon. It has become common practice for dealers to put Lemons back into the yard and then sell them to other customers.

Before you buy any vehicle, check the details on the register first. The best way to search is by VIN number. Make sure you write it down when you look at the vehicle.

How the register is run

The Lemon Register is free for the general public to search. To ensure the register is fair and transparent in its operation we have reached out to a number of people to form a panel. This means a collective of people are behind the decisions made about how the register is run.

This also means the register is not biased. At the moment there are 3 people who have participated in conversations about how the register should be run. We are looking to add more people to the panel who specialize in the different areas the register operates in.

What benefit do I get from listing my Lemon?

You get heard! When you submit a Lemon we send a copy of the complaint to the Dealer, Manufacture and a copy to you. This means if the Dealer refuses to resolve your case, the manufacture are made aware. Manufactures want your matter sorted quickly as they don’t want it all through the media.

What if I have finance on the vehicle?

If you have finance on the vehicle we will also notify the finance company by copying them on the complaint. We will also notify the manufacture that you could be suffering from financial hardship due to this case and request compensation for you.

What if the finance company has already repossessed the vehicle?

We are starting to make things a lot harder for finance companies to ignore this issue. We are well underway in providing education to the finance companies as to why it is important to support their customers.

Should I also lodge a complaint with the ACCC?

Yes, and please tell us the complaint number provided by the ACCC. We can also keep them informed with any changes to your case.

What if I buy a second hand Lemon that is over 5 years old?

That means it is really up to the dealer to solve the matter for you. We keep track of how many complaints are logged against dealers. If we see a high volume we will submit complaints to Fair trading with the recommendation to have their license canceled. We will also apply pressure to the dealer to do the right thing.

What happens when the dealer fixes or replaces the vehicle?

If the dealer fixes the vehicle it is removed from the public register, as the vehicle is no longer a lemon.

If the Dealer replaces the vehicle it stays on the register to prevent them from selling it to someone else.

Who runs the Lemon register?

Not the manufactures, that’s for sure!

The Lemon Register is a private register. Manufactures have no chance of having a vehicle removed from the register unless it has been fixed. We have a panel of individuals who are passionate about cleaning up the industry to help create regulations the register should comply with.