Under California Law – Cars, Pickup Trucks, SUVs, and vans all apply.

It also extends to dealer-owned vehicles, as well as the chassis, chassis cab, and drivetrain of motorhomes. Commercial vehicles are not covered.

California Lemon Law imposes a four year deadline to file a Lemon Law claim.

The four year limit typically starts from when you first experienced warrantable problems with the vehicle.

Hiring an attorney with experience dealing with Ford lemon law claims will help ensure that you get the justice you deserve. If you have a legitimate case, then hiring a lemon law lawyer could cost you nothing because your legal fees may be covered in your auto manufacturer’s warranty. Many Ford 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 an attorney could cost you nothing and support your case.

Some common cases warranting a lemon lawsuit include: defective airbags, molding in the air condition 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.

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. California 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.

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.

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 California 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.

California 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.