SUV Lemon Law Attorney for California Drivers
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You bought an SUV to haul the kids, the gear, and the weekend plans, not to ferry it back to the dealer every few weeks. Our California Lemon Law lawyers try to get a buyback, a replacement vehicle, or some money from the manufacturer if the SUV is repeatedly failing under warranty. The manufacturer pays attorney fees when a claim succeeds.
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SUV Lemon Law at a Glance
California treats an SUV like any other new motor vehicle sold with a warranty from the manufacturer. The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a consumer protection law, helps protect consumers by requiring the manufacturer to fix a covered defect or buy the vehicle back. Those consumer rights follow the SUV whether you bought it or leased it.
Who Qualifies
Buyers and lessees of new vehicles such as SUVs, crossovers, and hybrid or plug-in SUVs, when a covered defect appears during the warranty period. Leased vehicles qualify under the same terms as if they were bought.
Repair Thresholds
Four or more repairs of the same defect, two or more for a serious safety defect, or more than 30 calendar days out of service, all within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery.
What You Can Recover
A buyback of the price paid or payable, a replacement vehicle, or cash compensation if you keep the SUV. Those are the legal remedies Song-Beverly provides.
Cost to You
Nothing out of pocket. We work on a contingency fee basis, and the manufacturer pays attorney fees when a claim succeeds.
Why an SUV Lemon Claim Looks Different From a Sedan Claim
SUVs have more systems than most cars do. All-wheel drive, transfer cases, third-row seating, power liftgates, and driver-assist sensors all sit on top of the engine and transmission.
Having that extra equipment gives a defect more hiding spots. A fault that shows up as a warning light on the dash may start in a sensor, a module, or the drivetrain, and each dealer visit can chase a different part. A complete repair history shows the pattern the individual invoices miss.
The Lemon Pros is a Beverly Hills law firm that practices California lemon law exclusively. Founding attorney Michael Saeedian (California State Bar number 265470) earned a J.D. from Loyola Law School and is annually selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars each year from 2020 to 2025. Our office sits at 9100 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 500W.
How Do You Know If Your SUV Is a Lemon?
A lemon vehicle, or lemon car, is a vehicle with a defect the manufacturer cannot fix after a reasonable number of attempts. A vehicle is called a lemon if there's something wrong with it that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety and if it also falls under the warranty. Defective vehicles share the same pattern: the same issue keeps recurring after each repair.
Courts ask whether the manufacturer had a reasonable number of repair attempts, but the type of defect matters just as much. Four tries at a squeaky trim panel will not carry the weight that two tries at failing brakes will. Market value is important because even if the SUV works fine, a defect that reduces resale value allows for a claim.
Your Warranty Is the Starting Point
Every lemon law claim begins with warranty. The warranty commitment from the manufacturer is the commitment of the law, and the clock starts ticking from the date you receive your delivery. Express and implied warranties both matter, and a claim is stronger when the defect appeared during the warranty period.
While an extended warranty is a separate contract, it can also be used to file a warranty claim. Bring that along with the rest of your papers. Heavy vehicles like chassis cabs or motorhomes have their own specific rules, and any vehicle purchased for use for business purposes must meet the weight and registration limits in the table below.
Which Law Fits Your SUV?
Most SUV owners fall into one of a few situations, and each one points to a different set of rules. The table below matches common situations with the law that usually governs them.
| Your situation | Law that usually applies | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| New SUV purchased with factory warranty | Song-Beverly Lemon Law, Civil Code section 1793.22 | The repair-count presumption applies within 18 months or 18,000 miles. |
| Leased SUV | Song-Beverly Lemon Law | Lessees have the same warranty rights as buyers. |
| Used SUV with only the remaining factory warranty | Warranty claims outside the buyback rule | The California Supreme Court limited buybacks in 2024. |
| Certified pre-owned SUV with its own warranty | Song-Beverly lemon law, in many cases | The separate warranty is what allows it to be returned. |
| SUV bought for business | Song-Beverly Lemon Law | Gross vehicle weight under 10,000 pounds, and no more than five vehicles registered by the business |
| Any SUV sold with a written warranty | Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act | Federal fallback when the state statute does not address the issue. |
Lemon laws are state-regulated and vary significantly by location, so a rule you read about for another state may not apply to a California purchase. Protection under lemon laws also applies whether the vehicle was purchased or registered somewhere.
In Rodriguez v. FCA US, LLC, the California Supreme Court held that a used vehicle sold with only the unexpired balance of the factory warranty is not a new motor vehicle under Civil Code section 1793.22. The same limit applies to any used car, and damages and attorney fees may still be available in those cases. This rule applies to consumers who bought or leased in the state of California.
What the Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act Adds
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was enacted into law in 1975 and applies in all 50 states. It is the main federal law on warranties, and it requires manufacturers to honor express warranties and implied warranties while barring misleading warranty practices. Under 15 U.S.C. 2310(d), a court may award attorney fees to a winning consumer, but such an award is left at the discretion of the judge.
California's own statute is firmer. Section 1794(d) says a prevailing buyer shall be allowed costs and attorney fees, including court fees.
SUV Problems That Lead to Lemon Law Claims
People buy SUVs expecting reliable vehicles, and manufacturing defects break that expectation. A defect supports a claim when it substantially impairs the SUV's use, value, or safety and survives a reasonable number of attempts at repair. These problem areas show up throughout settled business.
Drivetrain and Transmission
Harsh shifting, stalling, and sudden loss of power are common complaints. Failed gearboxes and replaced transmissions often lead to long stays at the dealer.
Engine Trouble
Heavy oil consumption, overheating, and engine replacement all belong here. A new engine that fails again counts against the manufacturer.
Electronics and Driver Assistance
Black screens, false collision warnings, and steering or brake alerts that fire for no reason make an SUV unpredictable. This kind of fault is hard to reproduce; a video of the warning message helps.
Safety Equipment and Body
Seat belts, airbag covers, and doors that will not stay shut are safety matters. A serious safety defect needs fewer chances of repair attempts to meet the presumption.
Settled SUV Cases From Our Practice
The Lemon Pros has settled 154 cases under California lemon law against 30 manufacturers, and we do not publish settlement amounts. The table below lists three SUV matters with the defect, the repair history, and the settlement month. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
| Vehicle | What went wrong? | Repair visits | Settled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee | Pull-over warning, transmission shake, and stalling while driving | 2, about a week each | July 2025 |
| 2023 GMC Yukon | Recurring check engine light plus oil, traction control, and collision alerts after a speed sensor swap | 2, about two weeks in total. | September 2025 |
| 2019 Jeep Cherokee | Shaking, shutting off, and excess oil use, resulting in an engine replacement. | 5 | June 2025 |
What to Do While Your SUV Is Still in the Shop
You don't need a lawyer right away if your SUV has been at the shop for a long time to protect your claim. Good repair history saves weeks later.
Get a Repair Order Every Time
Never leave the car dealer's service desk without paperwork, even when the dealer says it could not find the problem. A visit with no fix still records that you presented the defect.
Put It in Writing
Write a letter dated to the manufacturer naming the defect and listing what repairs have been done so far. Refer to the address in your warranty booklet. The manufacturer must get a fair opportunity to repair the SUV before the presumption applies.
Count the Days
The total for 30 days counts visits separately and does not need to happen consecutively. Make sure to note the dates when you return the SUV and also when you pick it up each time.
Talk to a Lawyer Early
A free consultation costs nothing, explains the lemon law process, and shows you your legal options before a deadline slips. When a car turns out to be a lemon, the paperwork piles up fast.
What an SUV Buyback Can Include
Under California law, restitution means the actual purchase price paid or payable, including transportation charges and extra equipment installed directly by the manufacturer. It also reaches collateral costs like sales tax, licensing fees, and registration fees, along with incidental damages such as towing and renting cars. Your lawyer looks at loan or lease documents to check how finance charges work.
The manufacturer can subtract a reasonable allowance for the miles you drove before first reporting the defect. You paid $52,000 and first took the SUV in for service at 8,000 miles. The offset is 8,000 divided by 120,000, times $52,000, or about $3,467. That is an illustration of the formula, not a case result.
You can also take a substantially identical replacement vehicle or keep the SUV and take cash compensation for the lost value. Some owners take cash settlements instead of a buyback. Refusing to comply stubbornly results in a civil penalty of up to double the actual damages under section 1794(c) rules.
What Does It Cost to Hire a Lemon Law Lawyer?
Most drivers expect a bill for legal fees, and the law is designed to prevent one. A winning buyer recovers all costs and expenses, including attorney fees for work performed. If we do not recover for you, you do not pay a fee.
A company that focuses on lemon laws knows exactly what manufacturers look for, and new clients of lemon law who contact us get that kind of experience right from their very first conversation. Your legal team writes the demand, handles the negotiation, and files in court if it comes to that. Legal representation means representing you in any court action. Legal services also cover the paperwork, so you do not have to figure out which laws apply yourself.
Ready to Find Out if Your SUV Is a Lemon?
If your SUV keeps returning for the same defect, send us the repair orders and let an attorney read them. At The Lemon Pros, the California lemon law professionals will tell you where to stand and what options fit your circumstances. Contact us today to start with a free case review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our attorneys work on California SUV claims every week, and the answers below reflect the statutes and the patterns we see in repair files. Your case may turn on details we cannot see from here.
This page provides information for general interest only and does not serve as legal advice. Contacting The Lemon Pros does not establish any attorney-client relationship. Rules and deadlines change, and every case is based on its specific details.