Most analysts figured that the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies would hurt their sales and it appears that the experts were right. Ford, on the other hand, seems to have won a lot of consumer confidence by refusing government bailouts and remaining self-sufficient.

Chrysler fared much worse than GM, at least on a one-month basis and a good question is why the difference? There is probably not a single answer. One reason might be in how the two manufacturers have dealt with warranty matters (i.e. demands for buybacks under the California lemon law and other state lemon laws) while under bankruptcy court protection. Early in the process, GM got court approval to continue to honor warranty claims as it always had. Chrysler, on the other hand, created a lot of ill will and bad publicity by bouncing settlement checks. It has tried to use the bankruptcy to change the terms of settlements previously agreed to. Did the public conclude that Chrysler was using the bankruptcy to hide from its responsibilities? Hard to tell for sure, but one thing is certain. Your rights to warranty protection are an essential part of car ownership. When these are threatened, you should request legal assistance and consider taking your future business elsewhere.

The idea behind the gas guzzlers law, which President Obama is expected to sign, is a simple one. Cars with poor gas mileage will be gotten off the road while at the same time stimulating flagging car sales. There is a lot of skepticism as to whether the idea will work and critics in Congress scaled back the duration of the program from a year to four months.

The government has put up a web site where you can learn if you qualify. The Car Allowance Rebate System can be found at www.cars.gov. Should you decide to take advantage of the program you should fully check out the warranty protection of your new car to see if it will meet your needs and to determine what protection you will have if the car is defective.

Remember: just because a car is a fuel-sipper doesn’t mean it can’t be a lemon car. The California lemon law and federal lemon laws don’t take fuel economy into consideration.