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California’s Lemon Law, also known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, helps consumers who have purchased or leased a defective vehicle. Defects must be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty and must persist after a reasonable number of repair attempts. If your vehicle qualifies, you’ll be entitled to a refund, a replacement vehicle, or a cash settlement.
In some situations, you may recover Civil Penalties in addition to a refund or replacement vehicle. These remedies can be double the amount of your underlying recovery, making your total compensation as much as three times what you paid for your vehicle! Plus, when we prevail, the manufacturer must pay your attorney’s fees and compensate you for your defective vehicle.
You Could Be Entitled To A Refund, Replacement Vehicle, Or Cash Settlement.
Civil Penalties Can Triple Your Recovery Amount.
The Manufacturer Pays Your Attorney’s Fees When We Prevail.
All You Have To Do Is Call, And Our Lawyers Take Care Of The Rest!
To qualify for compensation under the California Lemon Law, your vehicle must have a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety. Additionally, this defect must be covered by the manufacturer’s original warranty. This defect must persist after you’ve provided the auto manufacturer with a reasonable number of attempts to repair it.
Typically, the law defines “a reasonable number of repair attempts” as two to four, depending on the severity of the defect. Additionally, if the vehicle is out of service for repairs for a total of 30 or more business days, it’s presumed to be a lemon.
Take The Free Lemon Test
New and Used Vehicles
Motorcycle
Cars
Boats
Passenger Truck
Parts of RVs
Under the California Lemon Law, your vehicle’s defect must have surfaced within 18 months or 18,000 miles of the original sale date. From this point, you have four years to file a claim.
That said, we can still file cases under the Federal Lemon Law after this window closes. However, the sooner you act, the greater your chance of a successful recovery. If you purchased or leased a vehicle that’s not working as it should, we recommend acting as soon as possible.
18
Months
OR
18,000
Miles
of the original purchase,
whichever comes first
If your vehicle is ruled a lemon, you typically get to choose between three main types of compensation—a refund, replacement vehicle, or cash settlement.
Our lawyers will also fight to recover additional compensation for your trouble, such as Civil Penalties and attorney’s fees.
The California Lemon Law covers a number of possible vehicle defects including:
Engine failure
Squealing breaks
Coolant leaks
Window leaks
Electrical failure
And many more
Transmission shifting problems
The California Lemon Law covers used cars as well as new ones.
It includes pre-owned and refurbished vehicles purchased or leased through a retailer.
Private party sales are covered by the Federal Lemon Law
The vehicle’s defect must still be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty or an authorized extended warranty.
Turning Your Lemon into Lemonade
If your vehicle is ruled a lemon, you typically get to choose between a refund, replacement vehicle, or cash settlement. Whatever option you choose, the compensation will include everything you’ve paid for the vehicle, including: sales tax, license and registration costs, and financing charges!
In addition to the refund or replacement vehicle you receive, you might also be entitled to Civil Penalties against the manufacturer, if they willingly broke the California Lemon Law. These penalties can be up to twice the size of your refund.
When you win a lemon law case in California, the manufacturer is required to pay your attorney’s fees. Thus, consumers seeking representation for their lemon should never have to pay for an attorney out-of-pocket!
Although there is no fixed rate of compensation, you can expect a reasonable recovery if your vehicle doesn’t work as it should. Lemon settlements in California typically vary from $5,000 to over $100,000 and are influenced by several factors like the car’s make, model, age, purchase price, warranty agreement, and mileage.
We’ve helped over 50,000 people hold automobile manufacturers responsible for the lemons they sold.
Our law firm has a 99% success rate, and the majority of our clients collect compensation without ever stepping foot in court.
We offer free case reviews and only collect fees when we prevail.
When we prevail, we hold the manufacturer responsible for your attorney’s fees so you don’t have to pay.
During your free case review, we’ll discuss your vehicle, the defect in question, and any repair attempts you’ve made. We’ll also cover the claim process in-depth and answer any questions you have.
If your case qualifies, we’ll get to work building your case and taking the steps necessary to prepare for a claim. This typically starts with us notifying the auto manufacturer in writing about the defect and giving them one final attempt to remedy the problem.
If the manufacturer is unsuccessful, we will file a claim and enter into arbitration. In 99% of cases, we’re able to settle during arbitration. This means the manufacturer will pay you the compensation you’re owed, and you never have to step foot in court!
At the end of a successful claim, you get to spend your money on celebrating rather than paying attorney’s fees! This is because the California Lemon Law has a fee-shifting provision that forces auto manufacturers to pick up the attorney’s tab when you prevail.
Don’t Wait Another Day to Collect the Compensation You’re Owed
No, you may file a claim directly against the automobile manufacturer without help from an attorney. However, we’re often able to secure far better settlements for our clients than the ones they might collect on their own. Retaining our counsel costs you nothing, means less work for you, and greatly increases your chances of success.
Since 1995, the lemon law lawyers at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® have helped over 50,000 consumers settle their lemon law disputes with automobile manufacturers. We also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. So no, you don’t need to hire a lawyer for your lemon law case, but there are numerous disadvantages to filing on your own.
NOTHING! California’s Lemon Law includes a fee-shifting provision that holds the manufacturer responsible for your legal fees when you win your case. And at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center®, we don’t charge for our services unless you prevail. It’s common for other firms to charge their clients for filing fees and other costs related to the case. But our California clients pay nothing out-of-pocket.
...I am very pleased.
I am very pleased with the outcome that Krohn and Moss, Ltd. Got for me and would highly recommend...
- Dorothy Charpentier
...excellent representation.
I never had to leave the comfort of my home and I couldn’t ask for a better representation....
- Lawrence Mason
...communicated excellently.
They communicated excellently, actually walked us through what they expect, walked us through what...
- Gilbert Ye & Jurgita Slimaite Ye
...Thank you very much.
I can’t thank Krohn & Moss, Ltd. or Brent Wikgren enough. Thank you very much Krohn & Moss, Ltd....
- Kevin Brogan
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
In the express language of the Song-Beverly and Tanner Consumer Protection Act (California’s Lemon Law), the phrase “four (4) repair attempts within 18 months or 18,000 miles” is often misunderstood as a requirement for vehicles to qualify as lemons. But it is possible to successfully pursue cases that do not meet these requirements.
The California Lemon Law provides that a consumer may be entitled to a refund or replacement of their vehicle if the manufacturer is unable or unwilling to repair the vehicle within a reasonable number of attempts. The Lemon Law presumes that a reasonable number of attempts have occurred if the vehicle has been subject to repair four (4) times for the same non-conformity within 18 months or 18,000 miles, whichever occurs first. But this is only a presumption.
A consumer may still qualify for lemon law remedies if they do not meet this presumption. In fact, many of our former and current clients have vehicles that qualify for the refund/replacement remedy without meeting this presumption. Moreover, several consumers have vehicles that qualify for the repurchase/replacement remedy even when their problems occurred after a year or 18,000 miles.
To be eligible for compensation, the California Lemon Law requires that the manufacturer is unable or unwilling to repair the vehicle within a reasonable number of attempts. The Lemon Law presumes that a reasonable number of attempts have occurred if the vehicle has been subject to repair four (4) times for the same non-conformity within 18 months or 18,000 miles, whichever occurs first. But this is only a presumption.
A consumer may still qualify for lemon law remedies if they do not meet this presumption. In fact, many of our former and current clients have vehicles that qualify for the refund/replacement remedy without meeting this presumption. Moreover, several consumers have vehicles that qualify for the repurchase/replacement remedy even when their problems occurred after a year or 18,000 miles.
If a vehicle manufacturer fails to repair a warrantied defect after a reasonable number of attempts, the California Lemon Law entitles the consumer to a refund or replacement vehicle. In most cases, the first step in filing a claim is to notify the manufacturer of your intention to do so. If you have a strong case, the manufacturer may offer a settlement at this point.
Otherwise, the next step is generally to present the case to an arbitration board, which can be done remotely by submitting the relevant documents. The board will review the case and issue its opinion. If the consumer is not satisfied with the arbitrators’ decision, they may then file a lawsuit.
At Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center®, more than 99% of our cases settle before going to trial. So even if we do file suit, manufacturers almost always offer acceptable settlements before we need to take it further. Regardless of when the offer arrives, only the consumer can decide whether or not to accept it. We’ll advise you, but the decision is yours to make.
You have four years from the date of the breach of warranty to file a lawsuit under the Song-Beverly Act (California Lemon Law). In other words, you have four years from the date of the first failed repair attempt.
Typically, the law defines “a reasonable number of repair attempts” as two to four, depending on the severity of the defect. Additionally, if the vehicle is out of service for repairs for a total of 30 or more business days, it’s presumed to be unreasonable and qualifies as a lemon.
We don't get paid unless we win your case!
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