California Lemon Law Attorneys

Woman investigates car trouble under the hood of her carCCA – TheLemonFirm.com holds automakers accountable when they are unable to repair your vehicle or stand behind their promises of selling quality products.  When you purchase or lease an automobile in California, you have a legal right to expect it to perform up to the standards of the vehicle’s warranty. Nonetheless, thousands of consumers find their new vehicles have frustrating performance and safety problems that cannot be fixed. If your vehicle has been in the shop for repeated repairs or off the road for an extended period of time, you may have a lemon on your hands. That’s the time to call the experienced California lemon law attorneys at CCA – who will provide you with a free consultation, will stand up to the big automakers for you, and will fight them to obtain a recovery at no cost to you!  At CCA – 100% of our firm’s fees and costs are paid by the automakers – if we don’t get you a recovery, you pay nothing.

At CCA – 100% of our firm’s fees and costs are paid by the automakers – if we don’t get you a recovery, you pay nothing.

CCA – TheLemonFirm.com is California’s premier consumer law practice representing clients throughout the state of California, including Los Angeles and Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties. Our founding attorney Michael H. Rosenstein, Esq., is one of the State’s most highly regarded consumer advocacy attorneys and has successfully handled hundreds of lemon law claims. He has a proven track record of trial victories and settlements that is second to none. In fact, our California lemon law attorneys have successfully represented consumers against virtually every auto manufacturer, in virtually every county in California, inside and outside of the courtroom.

When you become our client, we will provide you with the informed legal representation and exceptional personal service that you deserve. We will take the time to explain your rights under the California lemon law and leverage our knowledge, reputation, and skills to help obtain for you the maximum possible recovery.  Best of all, your legal bills will be paid by the automakers – not by you!

Standing up against multinational corporations takes fortitude. We know how to fight back against the big automakers and will partner with you to enforce your legal rights.

How do I know if my vehicle is a lemon?

California’s lemon law is one of the strongest consumer laws in the nation and provides consumers with powerful legal protections. If your vehicle has been in the shop an unreasonable number of times for warranty issues, is not the same quality as other vehicles, or has had its value, use, or safety compromised due to defects, then may likely qualify as a lemon.  In California, manufacturers must replace or repurchase vehicles when they cannot repair them after a reasonable number of repair attempts. If the defect cannot be resolved after a reasonable number of attempts, the manufacturer must replace the vehicle with a new one or refund your money.

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When the manufacturer fails to meet its legal obligations of repurchasing or replacing the vehicle (as they so often do), they may be forced to pay additional damages, called civil penalties.  CCA’s experienced lemon law attorneys oftentimes recover such penalties – above and beyond what our clients paid for their vehicles – from the vehicle’s manufacturer.

California’s strong consumer protections provide that manufacturers must live up to the promises they make in their warranties – whether you purchased your vehicle new or used.  Although the manufacturer must be given a “reasonable” number of attempts to repair the vehicle before you can pursue a lemon law claim, the statute does not specify how many repair attempts is reasonable. The California courts have ruled that the minimum number of attempts is only 2.

CCA’s experienced lemon law attorneys oftentimes recover civil penalties – above and beyond what our clients paid for their vehicles – from the vehicle’s manufacturer.

Also, generally, the vehicle must have been presented for one or more substantially impairing defect – this means that the defect must be a substantial impairment to the vehicle’s use, value or safety. (i.e.: if only the light bulb in your glove box doesn’t work, it will likely not qualify.  If, on the other hand, your car won’t start- it likely will qualify). On the other hand, if the vehicle has a potentially life-threatening safety defect (e.g. faulty brakes), the manufacturer only gets 2 attempts to fix the problem under certain circumstances. Also, you may also have a lemon law claim if your vehicle was out of service for a period of 30 days or more.  Please feel free to call us for a free consultation at (833)LEMON-FIRM and one of our specialists will quickly determine whether or not your vehicle qualifies – at no charge to you.

New car stalled on side of road

Call us for a free consultation at (833)LEMON-FIRM and one of our specialists will quickly determine whether or not your vehicle qualifies – at no charge to you.

Mechanic works on car engine

While the law places stringent requirements on manufacturers, it is not uncommon for unscrupulous dealerships and automakers to claim that the defect was caused by the consumer misusing or abusing the vehicle, that the defect is not covered under the warranty, or to otherwise wrongfully deny a meritorious claim. The dealer may also argue that it has not had a reasonable number of attempts to repair the vehicle. For this reason, it is crucial to keep records of all repair attempts (e.g. repair invoices).  Unfortunately, in our experience, automakers and dealerships remain oftentimes derelict with respect to their duties under California’s lemon law.

It is worth noting that, while manufacturers in California have the “affirmative duty” to repurchase defective or unfixable vehicles – even without the consumer asking – they rarely do so. Instead, manufacturers and their dealerships oftentimes simply give consumers the run around – forcing them to bring in their vehicles over-and-over again, while never correcting the underlying issues.  That’s where CCA – The Lemon Firm comes in. Our legal team possesses extensive experience resolving California lemon law claims expeditiously and for maximum possible compensation. Our reputation for tenacity and excellence in lemon law advocacy allows our clients to regularly recover significantly more compensation than consumers that attempt to resolve their claims on their own or that hire other lemon firms.

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While manufacturers in California have the “affirmative duty” to repurchase defective or unfixable vehicles – even without the consumer asking – they rarely do so.

Types of Recovery in a California Lemon Law Claim

If you have a viable lemon law claim, California’s strong legal protections provide a number of available legal remedies to you. As mentioned above, the manufacturer must either replace your defective vehicle with a new one or repurchase the vehicle (deducting the mileage offset from the purchase price). In addition, the manufacturer must also reimburse you for incidental and consequential damages, such as the cost of renting a vehicle and other expenses you incurred while the vehicle was in the shop. Finally, you will also be awarded attorneys’ fees and costs (legal expenses related to your lemon law claim). This means that you will not pay any attorneys’ fees to us unless and until we recover for you.  100% of our fees and costs are paid from our settlements by the automakers – you pay us nothing unless we obtain a recovery for you.

Additionally, if the manufacturer willfully violated provisions of the California lemon law (as they so often do), the manufacturer may be forced to pay you additional damages – above and beyond what you paid for your troubled vehicle. California’s strict lemon laws punish manufacturers that are delinquent on their legal obligations by forcing them to pay up to 2-times the purchase of the vehicle to the consumer as a penalty.  Our clients, in fact, oftentimes recover monetary damages significantly beyond what they paid for their troubled vehicle.

Why Choose The Lemon Firm?

Because California’s lemon law is nuanced, complicated, and confusing, and because massive automotive manufacturers have an unfair advantage over consumers, it is crucial to work with a dedicated, experienced, and tenacious lemon law attorney. Unlike other law firms, all claims at CCA – The Lemon Firm are handled by the state’s finest consumer advocacy attorneys. While many less experienced attorneys shirk under the pressure of standing up to multi-national corporations, our seasoned trial attorneys are fully prepared to go to any lengths to vindicate our clients’ important legal rights.

Our in-depth knowledge of the lemon law, experience handling hundreds of cases, and track record of dozens of exceptional verdicts and settlements will give you confidence knowing that the State’s most seasoned advocates are on your side.

For the prompt, effective, and reliable services at no charge to you, contact our office today for a free evaluation of your case!

Representative Matters

Mary J. v. Ford Motor Company - Our client, Mary J., purchased her 2013 Ford Focus hoping for a reliable and economical mode of transportation to get her around for years to come. Unfortunately, her Focus was one of countless other vehicles that suffered from the disastrous Ford DPS6 transmission shudder. When she called Ford’s customer service 1-800 number and asked them to take her car back, they told her, “no thanks.” Later, Ford settled her case for over five times what she paid for the car. Naturally, Ford Motor Company also paid every dollar of Mary J.’s attorney’s fees and costs for her.

Luis C. and Yesenia G. v. Kia Motors America - Our clients, Luis C. and Yesenia G. purchased a 2012 Kia Optima in April of 2012. Their vehicle would hesitate on acceleration, experience harsh shifts, the transmission would jolt and sometimes the vehicle would overheat. Kia refused to settle their case for a reasonable sum and forced this nice couple to go to trial. A jury of 12 found in favor of our clients, Luis C. and Yesenia G., and ordered that Kia pay them back nearly three times what they had paid for the car. Later, after the trial, the court also ordered that Kia reimburse all of Luis C. and Yesenia G.’s attorney’s bills and costs.

Karen F. v. FCA US LLC - Our client, Karen F. purchased her 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee from Bakersfield Chrysler Jeep back in September of 2011. It didn’t take long for the vehicle to start exhibiting warranty issues such as the check engine light being illuminated, problems with the airbag systems, strange lights flashing on the dashboard, numerous recalls, and the vehicle not starting on occasion. We represented Karen in Kern County Superior Court in her case against Chrysler. We were able to settle her case for nearly three times what she paid for the car and Chrysler paid all of her attorney’s fees and costs, as well.

Amparo M. v. BMW North America - Our client, Amparo M. purchased a used BMW X6 from Beverly Hills BMW back in 2013. While she was hoping to own the “Ultimate Driving Machine,” instead, the vehicle turned out to be a total disaster. She was constantly experiencing flashing warning lights, such as the check engine light, the oil light, and the temperature gauge going off, along with numerous engine and suspension issues. A jury of 12 in Los Angeles County Superior Court ordered that BMW reimburse Amparo M. for all of the monies she paid for the car, and imposed a civil penalty on BMW equal to approximately one and a half times what she paid.

Maria and Jason M. v. Ford Motor Company – We represented these El Centro residents with respect to the purchase of their troubled 2008 Ford F-250. After purchasing this vehicle, they found that the engine was completely unreliable because it would constantly leak coolant, make strange noises, display troubling warning lights, and sometimes simply not start. Ultimately, we were able to achieve a remarkable settlement for them, which included reimbursement of all of the monies that they paid for the truck, a civil penalty equal to roughly double what they paid for the vehicle, and payment of all of their attorney’s fees and costs.

Contact Our Lemon Law Attorneys Online

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