Pennsylvania House Bill HB804

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/4/25
• Refer: 3/4/25

Caption

Further providing for definitions and for repair obligations; and applying the act to recreational vehicles.

Summary

HB804 amends Pennsylvania’s Automobile Lemon Law to expand and clarify coverage for recreational vehicles. The bill updates key definitions, including “dealer” and “new motor vehicle,” and adds a specific definition of “recreational vehicle” that incorporates vehicles such as house coaches, house trailers, motor homes, recreational trailers, and truck campers. It also revises the law’s repair-obligation section so manufacturers must repair qualifying nonconformities in recreational vehicles at no cost to the purchaser, under a warranty-based timeframe similar to other covered vehicles. The bill applies the Lemon Law to recreational vehicles sold or leased in Pennsylvania on or after January 1, 2027, and takes effect 60 days after enactment. It also makes conforming changes to the statute’s definitions and repair provisions so that recreational vehicles are treated as a covered category alongside motorcycles and other new motor vehicles, while preserving existing exclusions such as off-road vehicles and dual sport motorcycles driven off road.

Impact

HB804 would expand the scope of Pennsylvania’s Lemon Law by bringing recreational vehicles within its protections and by specifying how repair obligations apply to those vehicles. Manufacturers of covered recreational vehicles would be required to repair substantial defects affecting use, value, or safety at no cost to the purchaser within the applicable warranty period, and in some cases within one year of delivery. The bill would affect manufacturers, dealers, purchasers, and lessees of RVs, and would amend the Automobile Lemon Law and related definitions to align with the Board of Vehicles Act’s treatment of recreational vehicles.

Sentiment

The committee record suggests generally favorable support for the bill, but not unanimous agreement. The House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee adopted two amendments unanimously and then reported the bill as amended on a narrower 14-12 vote, indicating that the policy direction had support but also drew meaningful opposition or reservations. No transcript is available, so the precise debate is not recorded, but the voting pattern suggests the bill was viewed positively by supporters of consumer protections for RV buyers and more cautiously by members concerned about the scope or cost of expanding lemon-law liability.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to be whether recreational vehicles should be covered under the Lemon Law and how far manufacturer repair obligations should extend. Supporters likely view the bill as closing a consumer-protection gap for RV purchasers, who can face significant repair issues similar to those involving cars and motorcycles. Opponents or skeptics may be concerned about increased compliance costs for manufacturers and dealers, the complexity of applying lemon-law standards to RVs, and the potential for expanded warranty litigation. The committee vote margin indicates that while amendments were broadly acceptable, the underlying expansion of coverage remained somewhat divisive.