...continued

Despite a unanimous jury verdict declaring the Coles' car to be a lemon, and ordering Mercedes to refund their money, Mercedes still refuses to comply. Mercedes is one of the auto manufacturers that fails to provide any arbitration program at all, as an alternative to litigation. Cole, who has owned three Mercedes, said she will never buy another one. "If I had to get from here to New York, and the only car I could use was a Mercedes, it would be a long walk," said Cole.

Michael and Marcelle Powers of Elk Grove, owners of a GM Chevrolet Suburban, and parents of three children, described how their Suburban pulls to one side when the brakes are applied. Despite numerous attempts to fix the problem, including alignments, and replacement of many major components, the strong pull continues to plague the vehicle.

"This is a very frightening defect," said Powers. "This should be a priority item to take care of, when peoples' safety is at stake." Although the dealership confirmed the Suburban has a serious problem, GM still resisted a repurchase until Powers finally hired an attorney.

*While Saturn is related to GM, Saturn's CEO Cynthia Trudell states that Saturn "legally remains an independent entity," according to a recent report in the Washington Post. Saturn also reports its arbitration program's performance to the California Department of Consumer Affairs separately from GM.