Frequently Asked Questions

Under California's lemon law, a vehicle may be considered a lemon if it has a substantial defect that impairs its use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer has been unable to repair it after a reasonable number of attempts. There is no single magic number of attempts — California law sets presumption triggers (see the next question), but vehicles can qualify outside those numbers depending on the facts.

California presumes a "reasonable number of repair attempts" has been met if, within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery: (1) the same safety-related defect has been repaired 2+ times, (2) the same other substantial defect has been repaired 4+ times, or (3) the vehicle has been out of service for warranty repairs 30+ cumulative days. Important: these are presumption triggers, not minimum requirements — vehicles can qualify outside these numbers depending on the facts.

Yes. AB 1755 (effective 2025, made opt-in by SB 26) created a new track with mandatory pre-suit notice, faster litigation deadlines, and new time limits for suing, for manufacturers that opted in. The Rodriguez decision (2024) also narrowed which used cars qualify. Practical takeaway: information older than 2025 may be wrong about your deadline and whether your car qualifies — get current advice before assuming either way.

It depends on your manufacturer and your dates — California's deadlines changed in 2025. For manufacturers that opted into the new statutory procedures, you generally must act within one year after your express warranty expires, and no later than six years after the vehicle was originally delivered, and a written pre-suit notice to the manufacturer is generally required first. For other manufacturers, older limitations rules apply. Deadlines are strict, and figuring out which track applies to you is exactly what we check in a free case review — the safest move is to ask early.

Sometimes. The California Supreme Court's Rodriguez decision (2024) narrowed this: a used car sold with only the remaining balance of the original factory warranty generally does not qualify for the lemon law's refund-or-replace remedy. But used vehicles CAN still qualify — most commonly certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles or any used vehicle sold with a new warranty issued at the time of sale. Other consumer-protection claims can also apply to a used-car purchase. Send us your sale paperwork and we'll tell you honestly whether you have a path.

A qualifying claim can result in a repurchase (your payments, down payment, and loan payoff, plus registration, taxes, finance charges, and incidentals like towing and rentals, minus a mileage offset for use before the first repair attempt), a comparable replacement vehicle, or a negotiated cash settlement. Where a manufacturer willfully violated the law, courts can award up to two times actual damages as a civil penalty — recent amendments generally require written notice to the manufacturer before penalties are pursued. If you win, the manufacturer also pays your attorney fees.

You pay no attorney fees out of pocket. We handle qualifying lemon-law cases on a contingency basis, and under California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act the manufacturer is generally required to pay the consumer's reasonable attorney fees and costs on a prevailing claim. If we do not recover for you, you owe us no attorney fees.

Dealers don't decide lemon law claims — the law does. "We couldn't duplicate the issue" or "that's normal" on a repair order is still documentation of your complaint, and it's often useful evidence. Keep every repair order and get one for every visit, even when nothing was fixed.

Once you've given the manufacturer a reasonable number of repair attempts, you don't need to continue taking it back. In fact, it's often better to contact our attorneys to evaluate your case and begin the lemon law process.

Timelines vary by case; many resolve within several months to a year. We work efficiently to pursue your compensation as quickly as possible while making sure your claim is fully documented.

You'll need your purchase or lease agreement, all repair orders and invoices, warranty information, correspondence with the dealer or manufacturer, and any photos or videos of the defects. Don't worry if you don't have everything — we can help you gather the necessary documentation.

Yes, you can continue driving your vehicle during the lemon law process, but be sure to document any ongoing problems. If the vehicle becomes unsafe to drive, stop using it immediately and contact us.

Both financed and leased vehicles are covered under California's lemon law. If you win your case, we'll work with your lender or leasing company to ensure proper handling of the buyback or replacement.

While not required, having an experienced lemon law attorney significantly increases your chances of success and helps you pursue the full compensation available. Manufacturers often take claims more seriously when the consumer is represented by qualified legal counsel.