Ohio revises lemon law to reflect Japan disaster

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio has made a change in its new-car “lemon law” in the aftermath of this year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The new two-year state budget makes a revision that cuts automakers some slack if a natural disaster makes it tough for them to get parts to fix a defective vehicle.

In those cases, the law now allows more time for repairs before the car company must pay a refund or permanently replace the vehicle. The car’s owner, however, must be provided with a loaner vehicle during the extended wait.

An official in the Ohio attorney general’s office tells The Columbus Dispatch the change was requested by a consortium of automakers still struggling with parts delays four months after the Japanese quake and resulting tsunami.