When you purchase a new vehicle the lst thing you expect is problems; breakdowns, mechanical problems, etc. If your new car is nothing but a headache chances are it can be classified as a lemon under the California Lemon Law. This law was enacted to protect buyers from vehicles with serious warranty defects that simply cannot be fixed.
An overview of the California Lemon Law:
In the event you purchase or lease a new car in California and the vehicle fails to live up to expectations and fails to meet the provisions in the manufacturers express warranty and it has been in for repair a number of times, the manufacturer may be obliged to replace the vehicle or give you a refund.
In California there is no set number when it comes to “reasonable repair attempts,” although the law does contain accepted guidelines of what the number should be. In California, the law covers new cars, trucks, vans and SUVs as well as the chassis and drive train of a motor home, dealer demonstrators.
The lemon law presumption:
Te California lemon law is based on the Song-Beverly Act, under this act there is a presumptive guideline as to what constitutes a lemon vehicle. If the criteria that follow are met within 18 months of the date the vehicle was delivered or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first, it can be considered a lemon under the law.
* Two or more attempts have been made to repair the fault that is such that it is likely to cause death of serious injury
* Four or more attempts have been made to repair the same problem
* The vehicle has been unavailable to the owner for an aggregate time of thirty days or more
* The problem is one covered by warranty and it has a detrimental impact on te use, safety or value of the vehicle
If these criteria are met, the California lemon law provides the owner with a choice, either a replacement vehicle or a refund of the original purchase price.
Like all laws, the California lemon law is subject to interpretation. If you have what you think is a lemon vehicle in California you may wish to visit LemonLawAmerica.com to locate a qualified lemon law attorney to assist you in getting satisfaction.
