The Lemon Law Facts

How Do I Know If My Car Is A Lemon?

Under the California Lemon Law, your car may be considered defective if:

• The car experiences recurring problems,
• Those problems affect the car's use, safety or value,
• Those problems are not the result of abuse or poor maintenance, and;
• Those problems are not resolved within a reasonable number of repair attempts.

The California Lemon Law does not state the number of repair attempts that reaches the benchmark of "reasonable." Instead, that benchmark may depend on factors such as the problem your vehicle is facing, what kind of repairs it has received and how long those repairs have taken. In short, it operates on a case-by-case basis.

Does The California Lemon Law Protect Me?

Our California Lemon Law attorneys protect California residents who purchased a new or demonstrator vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, if that vehicle was purchased with a manufacturer's warranty.

You may be protected if you purchased a new car from a licensed dealership in California, that vehicle has a manufacturer's warranty, and:

• You set aside the purchased vehicle for personal, family or household use, or;
• You set it aside for business use, and your business has no more than five vehicles, each weighing a curb weight of less than 10,000 pounds.

Members of the Armed Forces are protected by the California Lemon Law if they are stationed in California at the time of the vehicle purchase or at the time they file a California Lemon Law claim.