It may vary slightly from state to state.
The Florida legislature modified our law in 1998.
Here, basically is the Florida Lemon law.
You have to be able to answer YES to all 6 questions to qualify.
Note that "safety" is but one parameter. It does not have to be "safety related" at all. Although should it go to arbitartion, I should hope that Safety Related would carry some weight with the Arbiter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Did you purchase or lease your vehicle NEW in the State of Florida? Yes No
Does your vehicle have a defect or condition that substantially impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle? Yes No
a) Have you taken the vehicle to the dealership or an authorized service agent at least 3 times for the SAME substantial defect or condition? Yes No
-OR-
b) Has the vehicle been out of service for at least 15 cumulative calendar days due to one or more substantial defects or conditions? Yes No
(NOTE: If you answered yes to 3b, keep in mind that you must have at least 30 days out of service before requesting arbitration.)
Have you mailed by registered or express mail, return receipt requested, to the manufacturer of your vehicle (not dealer) the Motor Vehicle Defect Notification (MVDN) form which is located in your Lemon Law Handbook provided at the time of purchase? Yes No
Have you had a final repair attempt/inspection after the manufacturer received the MVDN? Yes No
Do you have work orders to verify the repairs to your vehicle? Yes No
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you answered YES to the six questions above, you could qualify for protection under the Lemon Law, please call 1-800-321-5366 or (850) 410-3788 to receive a Request for Arbitration package.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see, certain things absolutely do not qualify in defining a lemon.
Rattles for instance will probably not "substantially impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle".
Or at least if you believe that "reasonabale men can come to reasonable agreement" then rattles are not covered.
But OTOH, this is a law written by attorneys for attorneys. So, no one can state without reserve, exactly what "substantial" means.
Homer