What Qualifies As a Lemon?

Lemon Law Explained by Our California Lemon Law Attorneys

If you believe that you have a lemon, you should understand the basic criteria one looks for to make that determination. At Norman Taylor & Associates, our California lemon law lawyers can provide you with information regarding what is considered a lemon and save you any guesswork. First and foremost, your new or used vehicle must have been sold with a warranty.

Common Vehicle Problems Related to Lemons

In the case of a new motor vehicle, this usually comes from the auto manufacturer and these days it is not unusual for the term of the warranty to be for several years and multiple miles. Under California's lemon law, the defect you are experiencing must be significant. The defect must be a substantial impairment to the use, value, or safety of the vehicle to you.

For example, problems can be related to a vehicle's:

• Brakes
• Electrical
• Air conditioning
• Transmission
• Engine
• Paint
• Suspension

In addition to having a significant problem, you must have given the manufacturer through its warranty repair facility (usually the dealer) a reasonable number of chances to repair the defect(s). Even if the warranty is expired by time or miles, if the manufacturer never properly repaired your defect when it was covered by the warranty, the warranty does not expire as to that defect.

What Qualifies a Car a Lemon?

There are two main factors that must be considered when determining whether your car qualifies as a lemon:

1. Reasonable Number of Repairs: In California, if the vehicle manufacturer is unable to fix a car after a reasonable number of repairs, then it is considered a lemon. While the law doesn't provide an exact definition for "reasonable," the California's Lemon Law Presumption does provide guidelines to help determine what a "reasonable number of repairs" would be in each individual situation.
2. Under Warranty: The defect undergoing repair must fall under the manufacturer's warranty. This applies to new and used vehicles sold or leased in California that come with the manufacturer's new vehicle warranty.

Whether you are driving a car, truck, SUV, motorhome, or leased vehicle, you should not have to pay the price for a manufacture's defect. If you believe your car qualifies as a lemon and are ready to take the next step in recovering compensation for your losses, please contact our attorneys today.

Representing Consumers for More than 30 Years

Even though you may not have the same defect in many times, one can have the cumulative nightmare experience of a wide variety of problems measured by the number of days one has had their vehicle in the shop for repair. Vehicles that need constant repairs for a variety of issues can be considered substantially impaired too. If your vehicle has been in the shop for an unreasonable number of days for different problems, then you may be entitled to a replacement or refund.

If you think you have a lemon, you can receive legal guidance from our firm. We've been representing consumers for more than 30 years. We have an expansive understanding of manufacturers' processes and can predict their actions. If you are unsure of whether your vehicle may qualify as a lemon contact us now.