A: Hiring a lemon law attorney with experience in California Lemon Law has a few key benefits. First, they will have the knowledge and resources to ensure that you get the justice you deserve for your lemon law claim. If you have a legitimate case, then hiring a lemon lawyer could cost you nothing because your attorney’s fees may be covered in your manufacturer’s warranty. Lots of Lemon lawyers work on a “fee-shifting” basis, which means you don’t pay them. Instead, after they’ve won your case, they send the bill to the manufacturer, who has to foot the bill for all legal fees incurred. Hiring a lemon law lawyer could cost you nothing and support your case.

A: Here a few common cases warranting a lemon law claim: defective airbags, molding in the air conditioning unit, antilock brake failure, transmission failures, body damage, damaged or broken brake pedal causing failure, ineffective or failing seatbelts, malfunctioning electronics and wiring, engine computer not functioning properly, cruise-control malfunctions, engine fire and failure, leaking in the fuel injection system, defects in the fuel line that could create fire and smoke damage, chipping and defective paint, power steering malfunctions, premature wear and tear on the brakes and rotor, steering pull as a result of a malfunction, engine stalling, sudden unintended acceleration.

Certain states only offer lemon law protection for certain types of vehicles, like those purchased for personal use and not for a business. Some states consider how much the vehicle weighs and won’t cover certain types. A small number of states have lemon laws that cover used vehicles and some have laws that are ineffective. Some states’ lemon laws apply to other products as well.

A: The exact criteria vary from state to state but new vehicle lemon laws require that a manufacturer repurchase a vehicle that has a cogent defect that the manufacturer is unable to repair within a reasonable timeframe. Lemon laws take into consideration the nature of the problem with your vehicle, the number of days that the vehicle is unavailable due to repairing the reoccurring issue, and the number of times vehicle repair was attempted. The manufacturer could be obligated to buy back the defective vehicle if the repairs cannot be completed within the total number of days outlined in your state’s laws.

A: Each state has it’s own statutes detailing the intricacies of their lemon law policies. However, most states consider any vehicle a lemon if the car has a substantial defect, that is covered in the warranty, and occurs within a certain timeframe after the purchase of the vehicle. The vehicle must continue to have the defect after a reasonable number of repairs. If you think you’ve been sold a lemon please take your vehicle for repairs at the dealership where it was purchased because using another mechanic may void the warranty.

A: Lemon laws will not protect the buyer of a product purchased without a warranty, like a vehicle purchased “as-is”. However, if you feel you were misled into waiving your warranty then you may still be protected.

A: You have the right to sue your dealer if they weren’t forthcoming about past damages to your vehicle or if they intentionally misled you into purchasing a defective product. If you suspect your dealership or manufacturer of foul play, then speak to a lemon law attorney at once about your case. If your car is considered a lemon, then you are entitled to a vehicle buyback or vehicle replacement.