Do you feel like you’ve spent too much time trying to get that same problem with your vehicle fixed? Are you plagued with the same problem over and over again? Do you sigh with relief when the problem is fixed, only to scream at the top of your lungs a few days later when that same problem returns? If this scenario is a mirror image of your life: It’s time to take a look at the California Lemon Law.
If you have taken your vehicle to the dealership for the same repair at least four times within the first eighteen months or 18,000 miles; or if it has been at the dealership being repaired for at least thirty days: It’s time to find out if you purchased a lemon. Many people think the Lemon Law only pertains to new vehicles, but a used vehicle, if purchased with a warranty, is still covered by the Lemon Law. The California Lemon Law covers new, used and leased cars and trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and chassis of recreational vehicles.
If you do believe you have a lemon, you have four years from the time of the second repair to file a claim. If the manufacturer concedes that it is a lemon, the manufacturer may: Refund your money minus a mileage deduction calculated from the first repair; replace the vehicle (with the defective vehicle returned to the manufacturer and the loan paid off by the manufacturer); or give you cash compensation if you keep the vehicle.
It may sound easy to have the issue resolved on your own—especially since you have all of the repair documentation and a warranty in place. However, using an attorney versed in the California Lemon Law is the most effective and least stressful way to go. Therefore, if you think you have a lemon, contact an attorney and try to turn that lemon into lemonade.
