A B.C. woman has launched an online petition for British Columbia to adopt a ‘lemon law’ after her recent experience with a new vehicle.
“I want to make the process easier for British Columbians to get their money back if they buy a defective vehicle,” Nicole Pajak told Consumer Matters.
Back in February 2023, the North Vancouver resident purchased a new 2023 Volkswagen all-electric ID.4.
She says it was her dream vehicle until she started having problems. “The windows were rolling down instead of up, the infotainment blacked out, and flickering interior lights,” said Pajak.
She says one of the most persistent problems was a break pedal squeak. However, the most serious issue Pajak says was when on multiple occasions her young son couldn’t exit the back of the vehicle because the rear doors failed to open. “He had to climb through the front seat because we couldn’t open the back doors,” she said.
Pajak estimates she made close to 58 trips to the dealership and her vehicle was in the auto shop for almost 90 days.
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Since Canada does not have a formal ‘lemon law’, Pajak turned to the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan also known as CAMVAP, which tries to resolve disputes between consumers and manufacturers.
Eventually, a CAMVAP arbitrator awarded Pajak a buyback, but Pajak says going through the process was exhausting. “I’m not a lawyer, but I had to become my own advocate,” said Pajak, adding, “The burden of proof is heavily on the consumer.”
Now she’s advocating for a ‘lemon law’ similar to the one in Quebec – the first of its kind in Canada.
Quebec’s ‘lemon law’ legislation passed in 2023 aims to protect consumers dealing with defective vehicles.
The new law means any vehicle that has experienced three unsuccessful repair attempts for the same problem in the first three years, the owner can sue to have the sale reversed or sue for their damages.
“With this provision, you can use just your calendar and show that the vehicle was off the road for 30 days or there were three repair attempts. Usually, a work order is evidence enough so it makes the case much easier,” George Iny director of the non-profit Automobile Protection Association told Global News.
Is Quebec’s ‘lemon law’ working for consumers? Iny says the law is in its early stages. “Since the law is still new, we don’t know if the carmakers are going to settle before they go to court. Up to now, they are acting like the law doesn’t exist for the most part,” said Iny.
Meantime, when asked if B.C. would adopt similar consumer protection legislation to Quebec, B.C.’s Attorney General Niki Sharma says it’s under review.
“I’m reviewing that right now about strengthening our rules related to that. We have a few priorities we are working on with respect to consumer protection, but it’s always good to know what other provinces are doing,” said Sharma.
CAMVAP told Consumer Matters that disputes about software issues cannot be arbitrated and stated there are no specific changes being considered at this time for software issues.
Pajak says that leaves EV owners vulnerable and better legislation is needed to reflect the growing shift toward electric vehicles. Consumers interested in signing Pajak’s online petition for a lemon law can go to this website.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
