Minnesota Statutes Trade Regulations, Consumer Protection (Ch. 324-341) § 325F.6656. Alternative dispute settlement

(1) no documents shall be received by any informal dispute settlement mechanism unless those documents have been provided to each of the parties in the dispute prior to the mechanism's meeting, with an opportunity for the parties to comment on the documents in writing, or with oral presentation at the request of the mechanism;

(2) “nonvoting” manufacturer or dealer representatives shall not attend or participate in the internal dispute settlement procedures unless the consumer is also present and given a chance to be heard, or unless the consumer previously consents to the manufacturer or dealer participation without the consumer's presence and participation;

(3) consumers shall be given an adequate opportunity to contest a manufacturer's assertion that a nonconformity falls within intended specifications for the vehicle by having the basis of the manufacturer's claim appraised by a technical expert selected and paid for by the consumer prior to the informal dispute settlement hearing;

(4) no disputes shall be heard where there has been a recent attempt by the manufacturer to repair a consumer's vehicle, but no response has yet been received by the informal dispute mechanism from the consumer as to whether the repairs were successfully completed. This provision shall not prejudice a consumer's rights under this section nor shall it extend the informal dispute mechanism's 40-day time limit for deciding disputes, as established by theCode of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 703; and

(5) the manufacturer shall provide and the informal dispute settlement mechanism shall consider all information relevant to resolving the dispute, such as the prior dispute records and information required by theCode of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 703.6, and any relevant technical service bulletins which may have been issued by the manufacturer or lessor regarding the motor vehicle being disputed.