jump to navigation

Lemon Laws in California

In California, the Lemon Laws are in place to protect owners of motor vehicles and provide solutions if they have repeated problems with their vehicle relating to safety, value, or use. Minor defects alone will not be sufficient cause to file for California Lemon Laws.

The California “lemon laws” apply to all new vehicles, purchased or leased for family or personal use and for most small business uses. They include automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and the chassis portions of RV’s and motor homes. A used vehicle, if it was purchased or leased with a remaining portion of the new car warranty, may also qualify under the lemon laws.

If you qualify for the California Lemon Law, the following things should occur:
 

  • You get rid of your lemon.
  • You will not have any damage to your credit.
  • You will be reimbursed for your down payment, your monthly lease or loan payments up to the day you return the car, repair costs, towing costs, a portion of your attorney’s fee
  • You will be responsible for what is considered a reasonable fee for a certain mileage use of the car. California Lemon Laws allow the manufacturer to deduct this.

The California car owner is required to allow the car dealer sufficient attempts to repair the car. He must retain paperwork to prove the latter. The California Lemon Law covers a new motor vehicle that is used or bought for use primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. It also covers the chassis portion of motor homes. Criteria are : 2 repair attempts for a defect that might cause death or serious injury or 4 repair attempts or 30 calendar days out of service. The filing time for California Lemon Law is 18 months or 18,000 miles.

A great resource for researching California lemon laws can be found at the California Department Of Consumer Affairs Website. They offer a brochure about lemon laws in California. (You need Adobe Acrobat to read this brochure. Click here to download the latest version of Acrobat for free if you don’t already have it.

Reading the table of contents of the brochure about California Lemon Laws from the CDCA website gives you an idea about the richness of information there:

  1. Lemon Law Questions and Answers
  2. The Lemon Law Arbitration Process
  3. Taking the First Step
  4. Organizing Your Paperwork
  5. Gathering Information
  6. Filing an Arbitration Application
  7. Presenting Your Case
  8. If You Disagree with the Arbitration Decision
  9. California’s Certified Arbitration Programs 1
  10. Vehicle Care Tips
  11. If You Have Problems with Your Vehicle
  12. Mileage Offset Formula
  13. Where to Find Help
  14. Legal Definition of a New Vehicle
  15. Legal Guidelines - The Lemon Law Presumption
  16. Repair Record Summary
  17. Factors That May Affect Your Case

“California’s Lemon Law protects buyers and lessees of
vehicles with serious warranty defects that the dealer
or manufacturer can’t repair. In some cases, you may
be entitled to a replacement or refund for your vehicle.
This booklet answers questions about the Lemon Law
and provides information about the arbitration process,
record-keeping suggestions and sources of advice and
assistance.”

For information about lemon laws in other states, refer to the post entitled “Lemon Law Statutes in Your State“.

 

Technorati Tags:

Comments»

1. Lemon Law Guide » Lemon Law Statutes in Your State - March 10, 2006

[…] California Lemon Law   […]