California Ley del Limón para vehículos de gama alta o de lujo

Sometimes, owning a luxury vehicle can be as nerve-wracking as it is rewarding. When it comes to caring for a high-end vehicle, there is typically an extra level of maintenance people perform to keep everything in top shape. Unfortunately, even the highest-end vehicle can be a lemon. That’s why it’s beneficial to understand California lemon law for high-end or luxury vehicles.

Lemon Law on Luxury Vehicles in California

California’s Lemon Law, also referred to as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, was established to protect buyers who lease or purchase defective vehicles. All vehicles are protected under the state’s lemon law, including electric, gas-powered, and hybrids. Additionally, lemon law in California covers all types of vehicles, including standard commuter cars and luxury or high-end brands.

A luxury vehicle is typically defined by its superior performance and higher-quality features when compared to a standard vehicle. The luxury vehicle market in California is prominent, with Tesla continuing to take the top spot in the California new vehicle market. In 2023, the state had 132,636 new registrations for the Tesla Model Y alone, and that’s just one model from one luxury brand.

New Vehicle Registrations

Notable models that dominated the market share of new registrations in luxury categories in California in 2023 include:

• Lexus RX for luxury midsize SUVs
• Mercedes EQB for luxury subcompact SUVs
• Rivian R1S for large luxury SUVs
• Tesla Model S for luxury and high-end sports cars
• Tesla Model Y for luxury compact SUVs
• Tesla Model 3 for near-luxury cars

New vehicle registrations in California are projected to reach 1.8 million units in 2025, which is a 2.3 percent increase from 2024. In line with the increase in new vehicle purchases, lemon claims have continued to spike over recent years, leading to changes in California’s lemon law. Cases surged from 15,000 in 2022 to more than 22,000 in 2023, and those numbers have continued to grow in more recent years.

That said, it’s important to have solid legal representation when it comes to filing a lemon law claim for your luxury vehicle, especially because identifying defects in a high-end vehicle can present some unique challenges for consumers.

Unique Lemon Law Challenges for Luxury Cars in California

California Lemon Law protects standard and luxury vehicles under the same standards and requirements, so you don’t have to worry about any surprise stipulations in the law pertaining to your high-end vehicle. That said, proving your luxury car is a lemon and asserting your rights to compensation may prove to be more challenging.

For starters, luxury vehicles tend to feature more complex and sophisticated technology, so troubleshooting problems may be a more involved process. Under lemon law, a manufacturer or dealer has a reasonable number of attempts to fix a warranty issue with a vehicle before they must either replace or repurchase it. A luxury vehicle may require more repair attempts than usual to pinpoint a problem, which can potentially delay the process.

Additionally, the flaw in a vehicle must have a significant effect on the functionality, safety, or worth of the vehicle, which can be challenging to prove, given the expensive nature of luxury vehicles.

Recent Updates to the California Lemon Law

Governor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation into effect that alters California’s lemon law through new pretrial requirements, procedural guidelines, statute of limitations, and more. The new law was passed in an attempt to combat the high volume of lemon cases being filed in California in recent years. However, critics note that it also takes away key protections and makes seeking legal recourse for a defective vehicle more challenging for consumers.

With the recent updates, California lemon law now requires consumers to notify the dealer or manufacturer of their defective vehicle and demand they replace or repurchase it before filing an official claim. They must do this al menos 30 días before filing a civil action. After they send the notice, the other party has 30 days to respond.

If they comply, they must complete the vehicle repurchase or replacement within 60 days of receiving the first notice. According to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, customers can choose if they would like to be reimbursed by replacing the vehicle or getting a refund for its purchase value. Other changes outlined by the new law include:

• Mandatory mediation process
• New guidelines for depositions
• Obligatory pre-case notice requirements
• Required early disclosure of key documents for litigation
• Sanctions and penalties for non-compliance with certain requirements
• Shorter statute of limitations for filing a lemon law case
• Standardized settlement procedures

Preguntas frecuentes

Q: What Qualifies You for Lemon Law in California?

A: California’s lemon law covers new and used vehicles that come with the manufacturer’s new warranty. It covers all types of vehicles used for family, household, or personal purposes as well as certain commercial business fleets as long as the fleet is five or fewer vehicles and weighs less than 10,000 lbs.

To be qualified for a lemon law case in California, you must report a warranty defect within 18 months or 18,000 miles of getting the vehicle.

Q: What Is the Lemon Law for New Cars vs. Old Cars in California?

A: California’s lemon law applies to both new and used vehicles and offers the same protections and options for recourse if you experience a defect with your vehicle as long as the vehicle comes with the manufacturer’s new warranty.

However, a recent California Supreme Court ruling said manufacturers no longer have to honor a car’s warranty if they resell it as a used vehicle, so it’s important to know your rights if you have a used car in California.

Q: ¿Qué tan difícil es ganar un caso de la Ley del Limón en California?

A: Winning a lemon law case in California can be challenging, especially with new updates to the state’s lemon laws. The key to being successful in a California lemon law case is to document everything and gather the right evidence to build your case. Working with a California lemon lawyer can facilitate this process.

Q: What Is a Reasonable Number of Repair Attempts Under California Lemon Law?

A: The manufacturer or dealer can attempt to fix the issue a certain number of times before you can act on the matter. They typically must fix a defect within four attempts if the same problem keeps occurring. If the problem could cause serious injury or death, they must have at least made two repair attempts. You can also pursue a lemon law case if your vehicle has been in the shop for more than 30 days for a warranty defect.

Connect With a California Lemon Law Attorney to Learn More About Protecting Your Luxury Vehicle

When you choose Ley del Limón Pro as your legal team for a lemon law case in California, you get to enjoy comprehensive legal counsel and representation that can secure you a positive outcome for your case.

Most importantly, you get all this for free. Our attorneys recover 100% of our legal fees and costs directly from the manufacturer involved in a lemon case, which means we don’t have to charge you anything. Póngase en contacto con nuestra oficina to set up a free consultation to learn more about our free statewide services today.