What Is Covered Under California’s Used Car Lemon Laws?

Published On: 2018-08-28 | Lemon Law

Buying a new car is a huge investment and it needs a considerable amount of money. And not everyone can afford such a big investment.

Due to this, getting a used car in good condition will usually be a satisfactory decision which will serve your needs. You need to call a qualified car inspector to help you in the matter and understand the real state of the vehicle.

And if you are getting a used car in California, you can get the benefits of California’s used car lemon laws when your vehicle is still under manufacturer warranty.

For instance, if you buy a certified, pre-owned car, van, SUV, truck or any other vehicle, and it still possesses a manufacturer’s warranty, it’s a lemon vehicle and is eligible to obtain the state and the federal lemon law benefits.

What To Expect From California’s Lemon Law?

  • The lemon law for a used car in California offers safety to people who purchase or lease any kind of used vehicle which still comes under manufacturer’s factory warranty.
  • The law even covers the demonstrator’s vehicles and the new vehicles which were bought under the law and then sold to someone else with the warranty
  • It provides a legal protection to a person who has bought the certified vehicle
  • You can get the compensation in the form of a refund, complete replacement of the vehicle or a fair cash compensation

What Kind Of Vehicles Are Covered?

There are specific guidelines for the vehicles that enjoy California’s used car lemon law benefits and these are as follows.

The law covers used vehicles such as:

  • Used vehicles or cars which are in use for personal, household or family purposes
  • Used vehicles that have a gross weight below 10,000 pounds and these are used normally for the commercial purposes, where only five or less vehicles are registered under the name of the company.
  • All kinds of used vehicles that have a written warranty
  • Lemon vehicles which have been bought by the manufacturer and then sold again to some customer with the manufacturer warranty still covering the vehicle.

What Is The Period Of The Lemon Law?

The lemon law stands effective for a vehicle:

  • During the entire warranty period provided by the manufacturer
  • After the warranty period, if the vehicle has been certified
  • If the manufacturer provides an extended warranty period

And according to the laws, the manufacturer is offered a reasonable number of attempts to repair a vehicle according to the set guidelines.

Also Read : How To Identify Exhaust Problems In A Car?

However, if the manufacturers are unable to repair the vehicle even after the attempts, they are entitled either to offer a replacement vehicle or offer a reasonable cash compensation.

Therefore, California’s used car lemon laws offer lots of benefits to the people who purchase used cars with manufacturer warranties covering them.

And while you are not able to get the designated benefits, you can consult a lemon law attorney in California and get their assistance in the matter to negotiate the amount of cash or the benefits you obtain from the warranty.