KUALA LUMPUR: More than 1,000 cases involving new and used cars were taken to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia in the first eight months of this year.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said out of 1,126 cases involving claims worth RM3.68 million, 1,034 cases had been resolved and 92 were still pending.
He said based on the number of cases, the government was looking at similar protection to the "Lemon Law", which would provide more coverage for consumers.
By definition, a Lemon Law is a remedy for purchasers of cars and other consumer goods to compensate for products that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance.
"There were proposals for Malaysia to come up with laws similar to the Lemon Law.
"At the ministerial level, we have discussed the matter and have received input from the industry players. They said they liked the Lemon Law," he said after launching AutoGen Plus by eAutoGen Capital programme at Berjaya Times Square Hotel here today.
AutoGen Plus, which offers an affordable extended warranty programme starting at RM298 per annum, accepts a wide variety of private used car brands and models up to 10 years old and within 200,000km odometer reading.
Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Associations of Malaysia president Datuk Tony Khor Chong Boon said the Lemon Law, like the ones enforced in other countries, would provide extra protection for consumers.
He said that such a law would boost the confidence of people in purchasing more used cars in the future.
"If there are manufacturing defects, the suppliers must be held responsible for fixing it.
"Unfortunately, the responsibility currently falls on the car dealers since we do not have a Lemon Law here," he said.