Lemon Law in California
To find the answers, read this blog till the end.
Understanding California Lemon Law
The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (or California Lemon Law) protects consumers who either purchase or lease faulty vehicles, motorcycles, and other types of motor vehicles.
However, suppose you are not acquainted with Lemon Laws. In that case, it can be incredibly challenging to understand what protections California lemon laws offer you as a consumer for your new and used cars.
In short, lemon laws protect consumers when their vehicle is faulty, resulting in any negative effects that influence the vehicle, use, value, and safety.
A consumer often proves these negative effects by providing a paper trail that shows they had to take their vehicle into the shop for a number of repair attempts during their warranty’s validity period.
Contact Us for Help With Lemon Law California
The best option if you purchased or leased a faulty vehicle in California is to contact us here at Pacific Coast Lemon Law, Inc. to keep you and your passengers safe every time you get back on the road.
At Pacific Coast Lemon Law, we are dedicated to providing our clients with the best representation to ensure the best possible outcome of their lemon law claim in California.
If you think you may have a lemon on your hands or if you are interested in learning more about lemon law in California,
Criteria for a New or Used Vehicle to Qualify as a Lemon
California lemon law covers both the new car warranty and the used car warranty cases. If you prove that vehicle manufacturers sold you a lemon, they owe you a lemon law buyback or a vehicle identical to the vehicles purchased or leased.
- You purchased or leased an old or a new motor vehicle from a manufacturer or its agents in California.
- The agents or the actual manufacturer agree on a certain warranty period.
- Despite the manufacturer’s warranty, the old or new vehicle needed repair within the vehicle’s warranty period.
- You took the vehicle to the manufacturer or its agents for repair attempts within the manufacturer’s warranty period. The agents or the manufacturer agree that the vehicle needs repair attempts.
- The problem persists despite a reasonable number of attempts in the manufacturer’s warranty period.
How Can a Lemon Owner Establish Reasonable History of Motor Vehicles Repair?
Unfortunately, the word “reasonable” is incredibly broad and very subjective, so there is no rule that applies to all lemon law cases for what is considered an unreasonable or reasonable number of repair attempts to your vehicle.
However, you can discuss what an unreasonable repair history looks like based on your specific circumstances if you choose to consult with an experienced lemon law attorney. In general, lemon law attorneys try to objectively determine a reasonable number of repair attempts.
It is done considering your specific circumstances by considering what an “average” person would view as reasonable. Often, this number tends to be around 4 repairs, but this does not apply to every lemon law claim.
What Can I Gain From Filing Under California's Lemon Law for My New or Used Vehicle?
Lemon law protections in California mandate that manufacturers of faulty vehicles must replace or refund your vehicle (minus an amount called a reasonable usage fee depending on the mileage of your car at the beginning of your repairs).
When your manufacturer replaces your defective vehicle, the replacement must be a car model substantially similar to the vehicle considered a lemon and for which you filed your lemon law claim.
In addition to a replacement vehicle or refund, there is a potential opportunity for a higher fee paid to you by the manufacturer for a civil penalty. A civil penalty can be almost two times the cost of your damages if you successfully prove that the manufacturer of your faulty vehicle deliberately broke the law.
Even if the repairs to your vehicle were at no cost because they were covered under your original warranty, you are still entitled to protections afforded by a lemon law in California. This is because whether your car is considered a lemon or not does depend on the amount you spent on repairs.
Instead, your vehicle’s eligibility as lemon is based on the fact that your vehicle had to be repaired a reasonable amount of times.
Remember that you may still be legally entitled to file a lemon law case if your dealership or manufacturer claims that your vehicle is repaired, but you believe that is not the truth.
If You Are Looking to File a Lemon Law Case, Speak With an Attorney Today
Filing a lemon law case can be a very confusing and stressful process, especially if you are not familiar with the specific legal requirements of filing your lemon law complaint in California.
At Help With Lemons, we are highly skilled in the lemon law field and are dedicated to representing you and your best interests in a court of law or arbitration.
If you require an experienced lemon law attorney to assist with filing your lemon law issue in California, please give us a call at 844-744-0146 or email us at info@helpwithlemons.com for a free consultation.
FAQs About California's Lemon Law
Yes, California’s lemon law covers both new and used cars.
