For car owners who live in San Francisco, including people who bought the car on the Peninsula or across a bridge.
Key Takeaways
A San Francisco owner whose car keeps failing under warranty can ask the manufacturer to take it back or swap it, once its dealers have had a reasonable number of tries. If talks fail, a city lawsuit is filed at the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, and most settle before trial. No fee unless we win. On a successful claim the manufacturer pays your attorney fees under the Song-Beverly Act.
You qualify if a warranty-covered defect substantially impairs use, value or safety and the manufacturer's dealers have had a fair chance to fix it without success.
during the first year and a half or 18,000 miles: four tries at one problem, two at a dangerous one, or more than 30 days in total waiting on repairs.
a buyback of what you paid, including down payment, monthly payments, tax and registration, minus a mileage offset; or a replacement; plus towing and rental costs.
No fee unless we win. On a successful claim the manufacturer pays your attorney fees under the Song-Beverly Act.
used cars changed in late 2024: one sold with just the leftover factory coverage no longer gets a buyback. A new warranty from the manufacturer with the sale can change that, and a different warranty claim may still be possible.
San Francisco is one city and one county, with one courthouse for civil cases. Two California-licensed attorneys handle the claims, and the firm's office is in Beverly Hills.
Bring the repair orders and the sales or lease papers. We look them over and give you a straight answer, free.
No fee unless we win. On a successful claim the manufacturer pays your attorney fees under the Song-Beverly Act.
Your questions go to the attorney working on your case, not to a call center.
We put your repair orders in date order, check them against the warranty and the presumption window, and tell you what they support. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Your case is handled by attorneys Michael Saeedian (California State Bar #265470) and Timan Khoubian (#296208), who focus on California Lemon Law claims. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Lemon Law claims for people who live and drive in San Francisco.
The warranty follows the car home. The city's mix of cars shapes which defects come up.
Inside the city, new-car showrooms sit along Van Ness and South Van Ness Avenue. Just past the county line, Serramonte Boulevard in Colma has its own row of dealers, and plenty of cars arrive from Marin or the East Bay. For the claim, none of that matters: the manufacturer's warranty travels with the vehicle. It can matter for where a lawsuit is filed, because Colma and Daly City are in San Mateo County, and we settle that question at the start.
The city's cars are not a typical California fleet. As of December 31, 2024, the DMV listed about 45,000 gas hybrids at San Francisco addresses, around 11 percent of cars and light trucks, almost twice the state share, and about two thirds of them Toyotas. Another 35,000 or so are fully electric. So a San Francisco warranty dispute can just as easily be about a hybrid battery or inverter, an EV charging fault or software as about the usual engine, transmission and brake complaints.
State law decides who qualifies. The Civic Center Courthouse decides how a contested case moves.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act protects people who buy or lease a new vehicle that develops a covered defect bad enough to hurt its use, value or safety, when the dealers can't fix it in a reasonable number of attempts. Business buyers are included when the vehicle is new, its gross vehicle weight is below 10,000 pounds and the business has five or fewer vehicles registered in the state. A car that keeps going back for the same fault, or spends weeks at the service department, can end with money back, a new car in its place or a cash payment.
Most claims settle before trial. When one is filed in the city, it goes to the Superior Court's Civic Center Courthouse at 400 McAllister Street. Attorneys must e-file new civil complaints there, and trials are assigned out of the Presiding Judge's master calendar in Department 206, which calls them on Monday mornings. Either side can ask for a mandatory settlement conference, run by court-selected attorneys with at least ten years of civil litigation experience, and the Bar Association of San Francisco runs a mediation panel with the court. After a buyback, the DMV title is branded 'Lemon Law Buyback' and a later buyer must get a signed disclosure.
Used cars got harder in October 2024. In Rodriguez v. FCA, the California Supreme Court read the statute's phrase about cars sold with a manufacturer's new car warranty narrowly: it covers a car only if that warranty was issued with the sale, not a used car carrying what is left of the first owner's coverage. A certified pre-owned car may still qualify if a fresh manufacturer warranty was issued with the sale, and a car sold with the dealer's own written warranty puts duties on the dealer. Owners who can't get a buyback may have a different warranty claim, but whether damages or attorney fees are available, and from whom, depends on that warranty. We go through the sales contract, the warranty and the repair orders to see which remedy fits.
The repair orders tell the story. These are the patterns that count under state law.
A car can be a lemon when a warranty defect that impairs safety, use or value survives repeated trips to the dealer. Within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery, the statute presumes the manufacturer had a fair chance when one of these happened:
City driving changes which faults matter. On any block with a grade of 3 percent or more, the SFMTA tells drivers to curb their wheels and set the parking brake, so a parking brake that won't hold or a car that creeps in Park is a real concern here. Whether a particular fault counts as one likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, where two repair attempts within the presumption window can be enough, depends on the facts and the repair records. Mileage runs the other way: San Francisco roads carry about 8 miles of driving per resident a day, under half the Bay Area figure of about 20, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. That is an average across residents, not a measure of any one car, but an owner who drives little may reach the 18-month mark before 18,000 miles, so check the delivery date as well as the odometer.
Typical problems include engines that stall or burn oil, transmissions that slip, screens that go dark, brake faults, warning lights that won't clear, fluid leaks and electrical faults that come and go. Hybrids and EVs add battery capacity loss, inverter and charging faults, and software bugs that updates don't cure. Gather the repair orders, mark the dates and the odometer readings, and we can tell you fast whether the record meets the legal standard.
What a qualifying claim can recover, and how one moves from the first review to a closed file.
A buyback hands back what the car cost you, tax and DMV fees included, less a charge for use. That charge is worked out from the odometer at the first visit for the defect: divide that mileage by 120,000 and apply the result to the price, so a first visit at 3,000 miles means 2.5 percent. A replacement means a substantially identical new vehicle. Some owners keep the car and take cash instead. Out-of-pocket towing, rental and repair bills go on top, and where the manufacturer acted willfully a court can add a penalty as high as double the damages.
The usual path for a San Francisco claim:
Filing deadlines turn on the carmaker. The older rule allows four years, and that clock can start when the defect first appeared or should have been noticed. For carmakers in the 2025 procedures, a buyback or replacement case must be filed within a year of the warranty ending and never more than six years after delivery. The 18-month window governs the presumption, not the filing date. Owners anywhere in San Francisco can start with a free case review; Oakland, San Jose and the wider Bay Area have their own pages. For background first, read our Lemon Law FAQ or look through our practice areas.
Answers on the courthouse, deadlines, hybrids, EVs and buybacks.
Elsewhere around the bay:
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3 months ago
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3 months ago
Though I had to learn the virtue of patience (it took a little time), I had an excellent experience with the Pros, from beginning to end. The entire team was professional, knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely committed to helping me through my lemon law case. They kept me informed throughout the process, answered my questions promptly, and handled everything with integrity and professionalism. They achieved a successful outcome on my behalf ($27,600). I highly recommend this firm to anyone in need of a knowledgeable and trustworthy lemon law attorney. Thank you for your patience with me and for your outstanding service!
4 months ago
Trust the process. Suzy and Anthony were able to get me a buy back from GM after constant issues with the transmission. Suzy was patient explaining everything and returned my calls/emails/text within 24hrs. She’s the best. Anthony (Tony) was straight forward and did everything he could to get me my money. No BS, or changes at the end. It’s a process but they know what they are doing. Delivered on everything he promised. Thank you for all the help and it was worth the wait. I was able to get a new car because of you guys.
4 months 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!!!!!
10 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.
Reviews reflect individual experiences. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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