The Lemon Law in California

Simply put the California Lemon Law is an additional level of protection given to consumers in the State of California who purchase or lease vehicle that require repeated repairs or are in the repair shop for long periods of time while under the original manufacturer's warranty.

When you purchase or lease a new automobile (or a used vehicle with a factory warranty) in the State of California, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, better known as the California Lemon Law can be a very powerful tool when dealing with the giant vehicle manufacturers. The California Lemon Law covers new and used cars, pickup trucks, vans, SUVs as well as motor homes.

What does this law obligate the manufacturer to do for me if I qualify?

The automobile manufacturer is under obligation, if there are too many attempts to repair or if the vehicle is in the repair shop for a very long time, to either repurchase or replace the defective vehicle. There is no set number of repair attempts. Vehicle manufacturers are obligated to repair defects and are allowed a "reasonable" opportunity to do so. What is a "reasonable" number of attempts depends on the nature of the defect. If a defect is serious enough a "reasonable" number may be fewer than four, but more than one (For a more thorough explanation, see Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.)

Unfortunately, even though this CA Lemon Law exists, many manufacturers/dealerships will ignore all or part of this law. As a result, many consumers are forced to seek out the services of a California Lemon Law Attorney to prosecute the client's potential lemon law claim effectively and in a timely manner.

What does the law provide for the consumer?

The California Lemon Law provides the consumer with appropriate compensation for buying a lemon. Under this law the California consumer is entitled to have their lemon vehicle either repurchased by the manufacturer or replaced. When a vehicle is repurchase by the manufacturer the consumer will get back their down payment, all monthly payments, registration fees and any other costs associated with the lemon vehicle less a deduction for the actual mileage on the vehicle.

To ensure the best possible results for California Lemon Law claims, CA Lemon Law Attorneys represent thousands of consumers throughout California.

Who qualifies for the Lemon Law in California?

The California Lemon Law covers new and used cars, pickup trucks, vans, SUVs as well as motor homes that are covered by the original manufacturer’s warranty.

What is needed from the consumer to ascertain if they will be covered under the California Lemon Law?

In order for us to assess the merits of the consumers California Lemon Law claim, the consumer must provide the following articles and information:

1. The automobile purchase/Lease agreement
2. Automobile repair invoices or the service history from the dealership
3. Automobile registration for current year
4. Any other documents relating to defects and nonconformities

In cases where the consumer does not possess the required document for a CA Lemon Law claim, our staff may be able to assist the consumer in obtaining these documents.

If the California Lemon Law Attorney feels that the facts and documents of your case are enough to proceed with action against the manufacturer/dealership, then a phone interview will be held with the attorney. It is at this point that the California Lemon Law Lawyer will explain the entire CA Lemon Law process to you and will start your claim.

Free Online Case Evaluation

If you believe that you have a lemon, then we want to speak to you. Please fill out the form on the top of this page for a no risk, no obligation, free case evaluation to determine if you qualify under the California Lemon Law.