Practice Area

California Lemon Law for Cars

California lemon law provides strong protections for car owners. If your new or leased vehicle has a substantial defect that the dealer cannot fix after a reasonable number of attempts, you may be entitled to a full buyback, replacement, or cash settlement.

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Key Takeaways

Your California Lemon Law Rights at a Glance

If the manufacturer cannot fix a covered defect after a reasonable number of attempts, you may be owed a buyback, a replacement vehicle, or a cash settlement, at no cost to you.

Who Qualifies

Owners and lessees of new, leased, or certified pre-owned cars bought for personal use, while the manufacturer warranty is active.

Repair Thresholds

Four or more attempts at the same defect, two for a serious-safety defect, or 30+ cumulative days out of service.

What You Can Recover

A buyback refunding your payments, a comparable replacement vehicle, or a cash settlement where you keep the car.

Cost to You

Nothing up front and no fee unless you win. The Song-Beverly Act shifts your attorney fees to the manufacturer.

What Counts as a Lemon

The defect must substantially affect the car's use, value, or safety. After the 2024 Rodriguez ruling, used cars with only a remaining factory warranty generally no longer qualify for buyback or replacement.

What Qualifies?

  • New cars purchased or leased in California
  • Used cars still under the original manufacturer warranty
  • Certified pre-owned vehicles
  • All makes and models

Common Defects

Engine problems (stalling overheating, misfiring)

Transmission failures

Electrical system malfunctions

Brake and steering issues

Air conditioning/heating failures

Infotainment and software glitches

Paint and body defects

Safety system failures (airbags ABS, stability control)

Cars covered by California lemon law

California lemon law protection for owners of defective cars.

Coverage

What Vehicles Are Covered Under California Lemon Law?

California's Lemon Law protects consumers who've purchased or leased defective vehicles, whether new, used, or certified pre-owned. These are the main categories that qualify.

New Cars

Protections extend to new vehicles still under the manufacturer's original warranty, sedans, trucks, SUVs, EVs, and certain business-use cars. If it was bought or leased for personal or household use, it may qualify.

Used Cars

Used cars can fall under Lemon Law too, especially if sold with a certified pre-owned warranty or still carrying the original manufacturer's coverage. Dealership or private seller, it may still qualify.

Leased Vehicles

If you're leasing, you're not left out. Both new and used leased vehicles are protected when the problem arises during the manufacturer's original warranty period, imports and domestic models alike.

How We Help

How Our California Lemon Car Lawyers Can Help

Dealing with vehicle manufacturers can be exhausting. From your first free case evaluation to the final settlement, we're with you every step of the way.

We Protect Your Legal Rights

We make sure your Lemon Law protections are fully enforced, handling every phone call, form, and frustrating delay so you don't have to, and keeping you informed throughout.

We Stand Up to Unfair Dealership Practices

When a dealer or manufacturer uses shady tactics to dodge responsibility, we step in, exposing deceptive behavior and demanding accountability for denied claims and endless delays.

We Simplify the Legal Process

Lemon laws can be dense and confusing. We translate them into everyday language, from the repair attempts required to your potential outcomes, so you're never left in the dark.

We Maximize Your Compensation

We fight for every penny you deserve: down payment, monthly payments, repair costs, registration fees, and compensation for lost time. We're not done until you get a refund, replacement, or settlement.

Qualifying

Does My Car Qualify as a Lemon?

The Tanner Consumer Protection Act sets specific requirements. Vehicles bought from private sellers aren't protected. The defect generally must arise within 18 months of delivery or 18,000 miles (whichever comes first), and it must substantially impair the vehicle's use, value, or safety. Common qualifying safety issues include:

Common Issues

What to Do If You Suspect Your Car Is a Lemon

California's Lemon Law covers real mechanical problems that put you and others at risk, not just inconvenience.

Engine & Transmission

Stalling, gear slipping, excessive oil consumption, overheating, or failure to start. These aren't minor glitches, they affect drivability and safety.

Electrical & Software

A battery that keeps dying, infotainment failures, dashboard warning lights, or buggy software and navigation can all qualify when they affect safety or function.

Safety System Failures

Airbag problems, brake grinding, sensor failures, or sudden loss of power steering. If the dealer can't fix them after multiple attempts, you may be driving a lemon.

Act fast: notify the manufacturer as soon as a serious defect appears, allow the legally required repair attempts, and keep detailed records of every service visit and delay. If your car has been out of service for 30+ days or the same issue keeps returning, contact us for a free consultation, we'll take over all communication with the manufacturer and help you choose the best remedy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Car Lemon Law Questions, Answered

Specific answers for car owners under California's Song-Beverly Act. If your situation involves a used car or you want to estimate a refund, try our buyback calculator.

California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act covers a car when it has a substantial defect the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts while the factory warranty is still in effect. The law treats four or more repair attempts for the same problem as a reasonable number, and just two attempts for a defect that could cause serious injury or death. A car held at the shop for 30 or more cumulative days for warranty repairs can also qualify. New, leased, and certified pre-owned cars all fall under these rules when they were bought for personal or household use.
The defect has to substantially affect your car's use, value, or safety, so a rattle or a cosmetic blemish rarely counts on its own. Powertrain failures such as stalling, transmission slipping, or persistent overheating are common. So are electrical faults, brake and steering problems, airbag or sensor failures, and recurring infotainment or software bugs that the dealer keeps trying to flash or reprogram. What matters is that the same issue keeps coming back after repeated repair visits, not that any single repair was difficult.
Coverage hinges on the warranty, not on whether your car is brand new. The protection applies while the car is under the manufacturer's original or extended written warranty, and what counts is when you first reported the defect. If the problem was documented during the warranty period, you can still have a valid claim even after the warranty later expires. Cars sold purely as is with no warranty generally fall outside Song-Beverly, which is why keeping every repair order and dealer communication matters.
Yes. An electric car is a consumer good sold with a written warranty, so the same Song-Beverly standards apply. The defects just look different. EV claims often involve battery packs that lose significant range, charging systems that fail, drive units that need replacement, or over-the-air software updates that introduce new faults. If the manufacturer cannot resolve a battery, range, or software defect after the reasonable number of attempts, your EV can qualify for the same remedies as any other car.
Report the defect to the dealer or manufacturer as soon as it appears, and let them complete the repair attempts the law allows. Keep every repair order, work order, and piece of correspondence, since the dates and descriptions build your case. Note any stretch your car sits out of service. Once the same problem keeps returning or you cross the 30-day mark, talk to a lemon law attorney before you accept any offer from the manufacturer, so you understand what your claim is actually worth.
A qualifying car entitles you to a manufacturer buyback or a comparable replacement vehicle. A buyback refunds your down payment, monthly payments, and related costs such as taxes, registration, towing, and rental expenses, minus a mileage offset for the use you got before the first repair. Some clients instead negotiate a cash settlement and keep the car. Song-Beverly also shifts attorney fees and costs to the manufacturer when you win, so pursuing a valid claim does not come out of your pocket. A note on used cars: after the 2024 Rodriguez v. FCA decision, a used vehicle sold with the remaining balance of a factory warranty generally no longer qualifies for a buyback or replacement, though a certified pre-owned car sold with its own new warranty may still qualify. Even when a full refund or replacement is off the table, used-car owners can often still recover money damages and attorney fees, so we review each used-car claim to see which remedies apply.

Not sure where your warranty stands? Our car warranty attorneys can review your coverage, and you can run your VIN through the recall check first.

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Carlos Maldonado

a week ago

The Lemon pros Worked with me During a time, I’m in my life, where I was going through a lot of transitions. They were professional, and very patient as I was not always disposable or able to find paperwork for my claim. It was not overnight, but when the day came for The Lemon pros to negotiate my settlement, It was a glorious outcome. I Told the Lemon pros get me at least $10,000 and I’ll be Happy, And what did they do? They hit the ball out of the park!!!! and got me a settlement of $17,500!!!! And I got The Check without amount to prove it!!! Thanks, Lemon pros!!!!!

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Merooge Keshishian

4 months ago

I highly recommend The Lemon Pros to any Tesla owner with a lemon. They are experts in Tesla cases and truly fight for their clients' rights. I also thank the team (Tony, Sella, Zulma) for their incredible work on my lemon law case. The team was incredibly responsive, kept me updated every step of the way, and made the entire process smooth and stress-free. They handled all communication with Tesla, freeing me from the frustration.

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Lauren Tucay

6 months ago

I had an excellent experience with The Lemon Pros, specifically Tony and Suzy B. Both were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process and always kept me well-informed. They made everything smooth and stress-free, which I truly appreciated. Their professionalism, communication, and care really stand out. I highly recommend their services to anyone in need of support with a lemon law case.

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Robert A. Ruiz, III

6 months ago

I couldn’t be more grateful for the outstanding team at The Lemon Pros. Their team was fantastic from start to finish, always responsive, professional, and committed to keeping me informed every step of the way. Their follow-through was exceptional and their determination truly made a difference in achieving a positive outcome in my case. I’m so glad I chose them to represent me and I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking a dedicated and reliable team.

Don't Let a Defective Car
Cost You Another Day.

Every day you wait is a day the manufacturer wins. Take 60 seconds to find out if your vehicle qualifies, it's free, confidential, and could change everything.

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