Lemon Law

You know lemon law, and there is an extensive amount of lemon law information, facts, law, discussion, blogs, etc., out there. We hope to curate the best lemon law information out there for you, so you don't have to surf the web for three hours, have twenty bookmarks, and run eight tabs open on your browser that likes to crash.

We are not going to re-invent the wheel here. You are a sophisticated litigator who knows his or her stuff. So, let's get the basics over with. A lemon case in California is typically brought under the Song-Beverly Act.

Generally, the lemon law covers new vehicles with serious defects/malfunctions for a certain amount of time or mileage. If your vehicle can't be fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts by the manufacturer or its authorized dealer, you'll likely be entitled to a replacement vehicle of equal value or a total refund.

What is a Lemon Car in California?

In California, a vehicle is presumed to be a “lemon" by the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act if, within 18 months of the vehicle's delivery to the buyer (or 18,000 miles on the odometer):

• 2 attempts or more have been made by the manufacturer to repair a warranty problem that could result in death or serious injury.

• The manufacturer has attempted to repair the same warranty problem at least 4 times.

• The car has been out of service for 30 days or more for repair to warranty problems.

• Problems to the vehicle are not the result of abuse by the owner.

If your car qualifies as a lemon, the manufacturer has the responsibility of either:

• Replacing your vehicle.

• Refunding you for the vehicle's purchase price.

That's the basics. Stay tuned for more articles and more information. If you need a lemon law mediator, please check out our list.