California Lemon Law Basics

Lemon laws apply to the majority of consumer products and offer recourse to consumers who purchase or lease products that fail to perform as promised. A manufacturer must replace or issue a refund for a product that does not function properly after a reasonable amount of repair attempts.

Lemon Law Presumption

Under California law, a vehicle may automatically be considered a lemon if:

• The vehicle has been out of service for over 30 days while being repaired;
• The manufacturer/dealer has made 4 or more attempts to fix the same problem; or
• The manufacturer/dealer has made 2 or more attempt to fix a problem that could lead to serious injury or death.

Additionally:

• The repair attempts should have occurred within 18 months or 18,000 miles of the consumer’s receipt of the vehicle;
• The problems must be covered by the vehicle’s warranty;
• The problems must substantially affect the vehicle’s performance, value, or safety; and
• The problems must not have been caused by the consumer.

It is important to note that you may still qualify for lemon law damages, even if your vehicle does not precisely fit the above qualifications. A skilled Los Angeles lemon lawyer can properly present your case to prove your vehicle is defective.