California Lemon Law in Long Beach Song-Beverly Protection for Long Beach Drivers
If you bought or leased a vehicle in Long Beach and it keeps going back to the shop for the same problem, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act protects you. This is California's Lemon Law, and it covers cars, trucks, SUVs, and many leased vehicles still under the manufacturer's warranty. The law applies the same whether you bought from a dealer along the auto rows near the 405 or picked up your car somewhere else in Los Angeles County and brought it home to Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls, or Naples.
Used-car rights changed in 2024. In Rodriguez v. FCA, the California Supreme Court held that a used vehicle sold with only the leftover balance of the manufacturer's original warranty generally does not qualify for a buyback or replacement. That matters in a market like Long Beach, where a large share of drivers buy certified pre-owned and secondhand cars rather than new. A certified pre-owned vehicle sold with its own new warranty can still qualify, and even when a refund-or-replace claim is off the table, you may still be able to recover money damages and attorney fees. Lawmakers are drafting a fix to restore broader coverage, but it has not passed. If you bought a used car and the same defect will not stay fixed, talk to us before you assume you have no case. We handle used-car cases as a core part of our practice
What counts as a lemon under the statute is concrete, not vague. The law gives a general guideline of four repair attempts for the same defect, or two attempts for a problem that could cause serious injury or death. There is also a 30-day rule: if your vehicle has been out of service for repairs for a cumulative 30 days, that can support a claim even without hitting the repair-attempt count. Keep every repair order, work invoice, and service appointment record. Those documents are the backbone of a strong case. For a deeper breakdown of your rights, see our California Lemon Law guide.