The California lemon law is legislation that exists to protect drivers. This law allows you to get back your money on receive a replacement vehicle if your vehicle is proven to be a lemon. This article will explain how the California lemon law works.
Is every car that needs repairs a lemon?
Every car that needs repairs is not a lemon. A lemon has to meet specific requirements that are set out by the laws in California. These requirements will be discussed in detail here.
Time and Mileage Limits
You shouldn’t have to constantly be doing repairs on your vehicle within the first 18 months of purchase. If you find that your mechanic is seeing you almost every two months when you just bought a vehicle, chances are you have a lemon in your possession.
The same applies if you’re constantly doing repairs within the first 18,000 miles. By speaking with a lemon law lawyer California residents can have a better understanding of the time limits that apply with the lemon law.
Multiple Attempts To Fix the Issue
Under California law, your car is presumed to be a lemon if you tried to fix the same issue several times. Specifically, if you had attempted to fix the same issue four on more times within the first 18,000 miles.
If you’ve had multiple repair attempts in a period that exceeds the first 18 months or a mileage that exceeds 18000 miles, your car may not qualify as a lemon. However, you can discuss the details of your situation with a lemon law lawyer.
All of the repair attempts must be for the same issue. For example, if you’ve been in to fix your brakes twice and you’ve also been in the shop to address another issue 3 times, you would have done repairs five times. However, you wouldn’t have been there for the same issue each time, so your situation would not fall under lemon law.
Issues that Caused Injuries
There is an exception to the type of situation described above. The stipulation that there must have been four attempts to fix the issue, only applies with problems that have not resulted in harm to you or to passengers in your vehicle.
If the issue has caused injuries or has resulted in death, the law treats it differently. An attempt to fix this type of issue would only need to have been made twice, for your vehicle to be considered a lemon under the law.