California Lemon Law

Our California Lemon Law was designed to protect consumers' rights over the purchase or lease of a new motor vehicle that does not conform to the manufacturer’s warranty after a “reasonable” number of repair attempts, or after an unreasonable number of days in the dealers shop for repairs.

Thousands of frustrated consumers trade-in their vehicles each year to car dealerships due to repeated repair attempts, breakdowns, and fear of “the next time” the vehicle fails or malfunctions. Car dealerships often prey on these consumers by offering-up sales lines like “we will get you out of your car”, which is nothing more than the dealership selling another vehicle, and taking the consumers in trade to make yet another sale. The unknowing consumer often loses thousands of dollars in the dealership's “goodwill” trade-in “offer”. In worse-case scenarios, the consumer loses all equity in his/her trade in, or worse yet owes more than his/her trade-in vehicle is appraised-for, with the dealership carrying over the “negative equity” into the next sales contract!

It is vitally important for consumers to realize that the car dealership is not responsible for buying back or replacing a consumer’s vehicle that turns out to be a “lemon”. The dealership’s responsibility in their franchise agreement is simply to repair vehicles’ to conform to the manufacturer’s warranty. The manufacturer is the party that is ultimately responsible for repurchasing or replacing a “lemon” vehicle. All too often consumers waste valuable time and effort asking the dealer to buy-back or replace their vehicle, much to their growing frustration.

So what do you do if you think your vehicle is a lemon? California’s Lemon Law is consumer-friendly, which means you can go directly to a Lemon Law Attorney for legal representation and “get out” of your “lemon”. California’s Lemon Law even has a “attorneys fees” provision! A Lemon Law claim settled or “won” by an attorney for a consumer can accomplish 2 goals: One, the vehicle is repurchased by the manufacturer and monies invested refunded, less a “mileage offset” (or in some cases a new replacement vehicle). Two, the vehicle’s title is “branded” to identify it as a Lemon Law repurchase by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

Our California Lemon Law has been around a long time, and countless thousands of consumers have taken advantage of it. With the California

The California Lemon Law

The California Lemon Law is designed to protect car buyers from purchasing or leasing a lemon. Ours is the original California lemon law web site. We are a California lemon law firm not an out-of-state firm. We are situated in California. Established in 1987 we have recovered millions of dollars for lemon law clients throughout the state.
The California Lemon Laws cover cars, trucks, SUVs, RVs, motorcycles, and boats. Find out if your vehicle qualifies and whether you are entitled to get your money back. You have nothing to lose except your lemon. If you think you own a defective lemon call our lemon law offices or submit the Lemon Law Case Review Form today!

The California Lemon Law Offices of Delsack & Associates is recognized as one of California's best and oldest lemon law firms. We have a nearly 100% success rate of the California Lemon Law cases we accept, and offer statewide services so that wherever you live in California you can put our 21 years of experience to work for you.
What You Can Expect When Put Your Case in Our Hands!
First, we provide you with a free California Lemon Law consultation to determine if your case qualifies under the current California Lemon Law statutes. If we accept your case you simply fax a few documents and we handle the rest.
The entire process from the date we file a demand package to the manufacturer on your behalf, until the time you get rid of your California lemon or accept a satisfactory settlement and receive your cash reimbursement normally takes between 30 to 60 days.

California Lemon Law

California Lemon Law


The California Lemon Law (officially known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, found in California Civil Code sections 1790 et seq.) is a law designed to protect consumers who purchase or lease warranted motor vehicles. If a motor vehicle is determined to be a "lemon," the motor vehicle's warrantor must repurchase or replace the motor vehicle from the buyer.

The following will discuss the California Lemon Law's applicability to motor vehicles. The Lemon Law applies to all warranted consumer goods. The Lemon Law's applicability to consumer goods is almost identical to its applicability to motor vehicles.

In order to have a valid California Lemon Law claim, the following elements must be met:

1.) The vehicle must be used some of the time for personal, family or household purposes. If a vehicle is used exclusively for business purposes, the Lemon Law may not apply, but other laws may provide certain remedies.

2.) The vehicle must have problems covered by a warranty. There is a simple rule: no warranty means no Lemon Law case.

3.) The warrantor must be unable to repair the vehicle's warranty problems after a reasonable number or repair attempts. What constitutes a reasonable number of repair attempts will vary depending on the problem. For example, if a vehicle's brakes fail, two repair attempt may be enough to establish a reasonable number. Generally, safety-related concerns will require fewer repair attempts than those which are not safety-related.

Also relevant to determining whether there has been a reasonable number of repair attempts is the number of days the vehicle is out-of-service due to warranty repairs. The more days out-of-service, the better the chance of establishing a reasonable number of repair attempts.

There is a common misconception concerning the Lemon Law, that it only applies to vehicles that are less than one year old and have less than 12,000 miles on them. This belief is not true! The Lemon Law applies to vehicles regardless of how old they are or how many miles they have. As long as the vehicle is having warranty problems, the Lemon Law may apply.

Even if the warranty has expired, the Lemon Law may apply. If the vehicle is still having problems that were complained about during the warranty period, a valid Califoria Lemon Law claim may exist.

4.) The vehicle must contain a non-conformity covered by the warranty that substantially impairs the vehicle's use, value or safety to the buyer/lessee. The Lemon Law, generally, will not apply to vehicles with trivial or minor defects. Nevertheless, each case must be judged independently taking into account the particular needs and expectations of the particular vehicle's owner/lessee.

If the above-mentioned elements are met, the vehicle is a lemon. The vehicle's owner/lessee will be entitled to a replacement vehicle or a refund of the vehicle's purchase/lease price.

If you would like more information concerning the Lemon Law, you may contact Barnes & Farrell.

The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act is commonly known as lemon law and provides protection for consumers who buy or lease new motor vehicles. In California, lemon law applies to defective cars, trucks, motorycles, boats, RV's and even appliances. If you've purchased a lemon, a San Diego lemon law attorney can help you with your case. Lemon law attorneys handle cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing up front for them to handle your case. You pay only if you win. Contact a San Diego lemon laCalifornia’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, commonly referred to as the California Lemon Law, was passed by our state legislators and governor in order to provide relief to consumers who purchase or lease problematic vehicles. Generally, the California Lemon Law applies to vehicles which the automobile dealerships have been unable to repair the vehicle within the manufacturers warranty period after being given a reasonable number of opportunities.

A “vehicle repurchase” means that you get a refund of the monies your have expended to buy or lease the vehicle. Down-payment, monthly payments, license fees, rental car and towing expenses. Also your loan or lease will be paid off in-full by the manufacturer. The manufacturer will get a deduction under the California lemon law for some of your use of the vehicle, however, only for the use before the vehicle became a lemon (We will calculate that for you.)

A “vehicle replacement” It means that you receive the same vehicle you currently own/lease except that it will be a brand new one in the current model year. Your present loan (or lease) stays in place (subject to financial institution approval) and you simply continue to make the same loan (or lease) payment on the new vehicle as you did on the “lemon” vehicle. Your only expense (if any) is a payment for the use of your vehicle before it became a lemon.

“How do I know if I qualify?” “How do I know if I have a California lemon law case?” This is the most important part of your choice of lemon law lawyer firm. We know what makes up a California lemon law case against the automobile manufacturer by our experience in settling/winning thousands of lemon law cases over 20 years.

Would you like to know if you have a lemon law case? Need an answer quick? Call us right now at 1-800-CA-LEMON (1-800-225-3666). You won’t have to wait days for an answer. You only have to provide us with the information we need by fax or e-mail today - and you will know if you have a pursuable case within 24 hours!

Would you like to have your potential lemon law case assessed on-line? Use the convenient “free on-line case review” link to the left of this text. We will respond back to you within 24 hours.

You will be pleased to know that under our California Lemon Law, the auto manufacturer is required to pay our billed attorneys fees and costs in your case. The attorney can also recover costs of the California lemon law case/claim.

“Do I have to go to court?” With our firm (as opposed to many other law firms), going to court is rarely required. Out of every 1,000 cases we settle without ever having to see a courtroom, less than 3 will require going to court to enforce our clients California lemon law rights. We go the mile – and beyond – to enforce our clients California lemon law rights.

“There are literally dozens of lemon law firms advertising on the internet, how do I choose the right one?”
Answer? - You utilize the legal services of the largest lemon law firm in the state of California – Us!

“How long does it take for the manufacturer to agree to settle the lemon law case?” Many of our California lemon law cases settle in just 7-10 days. The majority settle in 30-45 days. Some will require longer periods of time to convince the manufacturer (sometimes employing a lawsuit) to settle the case on the offending vehicle. In these instances our experience on seeing the case through is vitally important to you the consumer. No one wants their case to be “dropped” by their lawyer part-way through a case just because the filing of a lawsuit is required. We will see your case through to it’s best conclusion.

“I may want to speak directly with the lemon law lawyer face-to-face. Can I do this?” “Can I get a free consultation?” Absolutely! Our firm has offices in key cities throughout California, and we meet clients to discuss their potential California lemon law case on an appointment basis. You may also choose to have us handle everything over the phone after we have reviewed your faxed-in (or e-mailed) documents, as thousands of our clients have over the past 20 years. The choice is always yours!

“I don’t want to front any money, nor be responsible to pay attorneys fees if my case isn’t won. How do you address this?” When you choose California’s largest lemon law firm, there is no money up front, no up-front retainer checks written, no money due during the duration of your case, and no attorney’s fees responsibility if we are unable to recover for you in your lemon law case. When you choose the largest lemon law firm in the state, you don’t have to take risks.

Need more information about filing a California Lemon Law Case? Please “click” on the topics on the left side of this web page, or simply call us. Calling our law firm will introduce you to a level of personalized and professional service you will welcome. We know ending up with a lemon vehicle is both frustrating and time-consuming. It’s time to have the lemon law experts step in.

Why a San Diego Lemon Law Attorney

Why a San Diego Lemon Law Attorney

Why should you work with a San Diego lemon law attorney? We believe that consumers deserve maximum protection as provided under state and federal law. Having a car, truck or SUV that’s a lemon is not only stressful and a hassle – it can also be dangerous. The right attorney can advise you from the very beginning to help you take the right actions as far as repairing the vehicle and filing a claim against the manufacturer or dealership.
With the help of a San Diego lemon law lawyer consumers just like you have the opportunity at a fair cash settlement from the responsible party. Your lawyer may also be able to negotiate for a replacement vehicle or computer or may be able to have the manufacturer, retail seller or dealer purchase the item back from you.

Lemon Law

Pitfalls of “do-it-yourself” Lemon Law – Owner Beware: This is where many consumers get themselves into trouble – unknowingly. If a consumer wants to pursue his/her California lemon law rights by attempting to “settle” their “case” themselves, they can expose themselves to a “settlement” that is substantially less monetarily than is afforded by the California lemon law statute. Why? If a consumer attempts to deal directly with the automobile manufacturer seeking a “buyback” of their vehicle, the automobile manufacturer has no “rule book” on lemon law to follow, but rather, can simply make any offer that they think the consumer may think is “reasonable”, or that they simply will accept. Worse yet, many vehicles have substantial safety and drivability issues that make them a unsafe lemon. Even if the automobile manufacturer was to offer a lemon law “buyback”, that does not necessarily mean the vehicle is being repurchased as a California Lemon Law buyback wherein the vehicles title is branded “lemon law buyback”. Rather, the vehicle is simply repurchased as a “goodwill” buyback, with the consumer signing a settlement document that releases the manufacturer from all “California lemon law buyback” responsibility, allowing these defective vehicles to be resold to unsuspecting consumer(s) without any “lemon law buyback” disclosure!
Having our law firm handle your lemon law case assures you that when vehicles are repurchased, they are repurchased pursuant to our California lemon law, not by a “goodwill” offer. You can eliminate all this time, hassle, downside and pitfalls by having California’s largest lemon law firm handle all this for you by simply calling us at 1-800-225-3666.
“Typical Car Dealer”: This age-old expression often rings true when it comes to the California lemon law. Car dealers are there to do one thing – and one thing only – make money. They have nothing to do with repurchasing your vehicle under the California lemon law. The automobile manufacturer is the party responsible for repurchasing vehicles under the California lemon law. Our firm has worked with the automobile manufacturers for over 20 years - so you don’t have to. We also eliminate you having to deal in any way with your car dealership.
Certified Pre-Owned Used Car Warranties: If you purchased your used vehicle from a new car franchised dealer as a “certified pre-owned” used vehicle, then you can enjoy many of the same California lemon law benefits as the new car purchaser! These factory sponsored “CPO” (Certified Pre-Owned) vehicles come with a written warranty backed by the automobile manufacturer. So, even if your vehicle is out of the manufacturer’s original “new vehicle limited warranty”, you still have California lemon law protection during the “certified pre-owned” warranty period, just like a person that purchased new! Our experts will be able to fully brief you on your rights under the California lemon law with a “CPO” vehicle, as well as tell you if you have a pursuable case.
“I want to keep my vehicle, but I also want to be compensated for all the problems” What is “Cash-and-Keep” as it applies to California lemon law cases? Our California Lemon law statute affords a vehicle repurchase, or a new replacement vehicle for the offending “lemon” vehicle. This being said, we have clients that will desire alternative settlements to a California lemon law statute repurchase or replacement. This can include “cash-and-keep”, wherein the manufacturer agrees to pay an amount to our client that is negotiated by the attorney that allows the client to retain their vehicle and put substantial “cash in their pocket”. Our law firms experience allows us to often present multiple options to settlement for our clients to choose from, thus affording the greatest range of settlement options in their California Lemon Law case.
“I want to know if the California lemon law applies to me – my vehicle is out of warranty” Our California lemon law can afford warranty protection past the factory new car limited warranty period if the consumer continues to bring the car back into the dealership for warranty repairs in a continuous manner for the unresolved repeating issue. In California, our lemon law is looking for repetition in bringing the car back for repair, establishing how serious the problems are for your lemon law case and claim. The California lemon law can also apply for a vehicle that sustained numerous repeated defect warranty repair visits during warranty, but is currently a out-of-warranty vehicle wherein that defect has been cured. These California lemon law cases are argued within the premise that the automobile manufacturer had a duty to repurchase, but failed to do so by their review of the warranty repair history of the vehicle. Call us for more details on out-of-warranty lemon law claims and cases.

Representation by a skilled San Diego lemon law lawyer is of the utmost importance if you are a consumer and you believe that you have a lemon on your hands. A dealership or manufacturer may have an attorney or even a team of attorneys whose sole purpose is to protect the interests of the company in lemon law claims and lawsuits. At the National Lemon Law Center, it is our primary goal to protect consumers in these situations by helping them find the right attorney for their case. You deserve a skilled San Diego lemon law attorney to fight for you and hold the dealership, seller or manufacturer responsible.

At the National Lemon Law Center, we help consumers throughout San Diego and the following areas find attorneys for their lemon law claims and lawsuits. Some of the types of claims we handle include:
• Cars
• Trucks
• SUVs
• Motorcycles
• Mini-vans
• All other types of motor vehicles
• Computers
California lemon law relief for all California residents. The California lemon law (Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, and the Tanner Consumer Protection Act / California Civil Code Section 1793.2, 1793.22) was enacted to protect California consumers from having to deal with repeated repair visits back to the dealership. Has your new or used vehicle been in the shop over and over again for dealer warranty repairs? You may have a California lemon law claim and case that will allow you to return the vehicle under the California state lemon law statute for a buyback and get a refund of all the monies and payments you have made, as well as a payoff of any loan or lease balance. California lemon law cases can also settle with the manufacturer replacing the offending new lemon vehicle with a new, current year model of your choice of the same MSRP price. Any new or used vehicle that has remaining factory warranty coverage, or manufacturer “Certified Pre-Owned” used car warranty coverage may be a candidate for consumer protection under the California lemon law.
The California Lemon Law also requires that the automobile manufacturer pay for the consumer's hourly attorney's fees on a case and claim that settles for a repurchase (buyback), new replacement vehicle, or a cash settlement payment. This makes the lemon law economically feasible for consumers who would not otherwise be in a position to hire a lemon law attorney.
We are a California-based statewide lemon law firm, with offices throughout California. Our 20 years of experience with all of the automobile manufacturers, and over 9,000 successful cases makes our firm the easy choice for the consumer desiring lemon law relief with highly competent representation. Many cases are settled in as little as 10 days.

Important Consumer Notice: Arbitration is not a requirement for consumers in California to pursue a lemon law claim/case against an automobile manufacturer. Additionally, your lemon law rights extend to the entire new vehicle limited warranty period, which is typically 3 years/36,000 miles, or 4 years/50,000 miles. Don't be mislead by "information" or "instructions" or manufacturer's "lemon law booklets" that a lemon law claim must be filed within 18 months or 18,000 miles, or that you "must" go through Arbitration - this is simply not the case in California! Our lemon law offices will give you all the information you need on how to pursue a lemon law case to get your money back, or a new replacement vehicle.

San Diego/Imperial County lemon law attorney

San Diego/Imperial County lemon law attorney

The Law Offices of William R. McGee, California Lemon Law Attorneys, has settled over 9,000 California Lemon Law cases for consumers statewide over the past 20 years. If after the evaluation of your provided information we accept your case, the automobile manufacturer in California must pay us the fees and costs we bill to them on your lemon law claim! Please fill out the form below for a FREE CASE REVIEW and our attorneys will evaluate the information you have provided for lemon law applicability. If your case is accepted, you could be entitled to a lemon law repurchase (lemon law buyback) new replacement vehicle, or a cash settlement payment. All cases are on a contingency basis – no risk to you!

The Law Offices of William R. McGee provides its legal services to the residents of San Diego County (North and South county), as well as surrounding areas including the cities of the Imperial Valley (El Centro, Brawley, Calexico, etc.)

Legal case representation for California Lemon Law claims is offered by our firm to residents of these communities on cases that we accept. A consumer should consider the benefits of utilizing a California lemon law attorney firm that has 20 years of experience vs. many “newcomer” attorneys that have chosen to include lemon law into their practices in recent months or years. We believe that nothing takes the place of experience, which we have in settling over 9,000 California lemon law cases.

Our free case reviews and evaluations can be accomplished for our prospective clients by either faxing or emailing in their vehicle’s information. It is not necessary for our prospective clients to visit us in person. However, we do have 5 offices throughout California including the firm’s main office in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo / 16855 W. Bernardo Dr. Suite 380), in which to serve you if you wish to visit us in person (Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm).