Man buffing out the paint defects of a white vehicle.

Paint Problems and the Lemon Law

By: Sepehr Daghighian, Esq.

You’re at a car lot and the sun is glistening off of the gleaming, pristine finish on the new car you’ve had your eye on for months  What could be prettier? Even though it’s pricey, you decide to pull the trigger and purchase your shiny new ride, dreaming of years of happy ownership of the gorgeous vehicle. This is an all too common story.  

However, for many recent car purchasers, they find that hidden beneath the glistening finish of their new ride, there are serious and often incurable paint defects. New car owners are finding, more and more, that their vehicle’s paint begins to prematurely chip, flake, rust, lose its luster, fade, or otherwise fail. Fortunately, for purchasers of vehicles with faulty paint, the California lemon law protects them. If the paint on your new ride has prematurely started to fade, we invite you to call us today for a free consultation: (833) LEMON-LAW.  

What Are New Vehicle Paint Defects?

The shiny paint finish on new vehicles is expected to last for years, if not decades. Indeed, the paint finish is typically covered by the new vehicle warranty. Vehicles also typically include a “rust warranty,” which covers premature failure of the vehicles finish.  

However, increasingly, new vehicle owners are finding that their vehicles shiny new finish prematurely fails. For instance, according to investigations and complaints reviewed by CCA’s attorney’s paint chipping has been found in:

  • 2013-2016 Honda Vehicles, including the Pilot, Accord, Odyssey, and other vehicles have suffered from premature paint chipping;
  • Toyota 2009 – 2018 vehicles with Blizzard Pearl or Super White Paint have recently been recalled for chipping and failures in the vehicle’s paint systems;
  • 2013 – 2017 Nissan vehicles, including the 2013 – 2015 Rogue, have suffered numerous complaints of paint chipping and rusting;
  • 2013 – 2018 Ford Explorers, Mustangs, and Expeditions – were recently the subject of a class-action lawsuit, alleging that the vehicles paint would prematurely bubble.  Edge, Fusion, Escape, and other models have also received widespread complaints regarding paint issues;
  • Mazda Red Soul Crystal Paint – Mazda owners with Red Soul Crystal Paint have experienced extensive chipping on their new vehicles; and
  • 2015-2017 Chrysler Town & Country and Pacifica – owners have experienced extensive paint bubbling and rusting.

If your vehicle’s paint finish is prematurely failing, we recommend that you present it for repair under your new vehicle warranty. Also, we encourage you to contact CCA for a free consultation with an expert lemon law attorney: (833) LEMON-FIRM.  

CCA services consumers throughout the State of California and persons that purchased their vehicles in California, only

About the Author
Sepehr Daghighian is a partner with CCA that is well-versed in all aspects of lemon-law litigation. A 2005 graduate of Loyola Law School, Mr. Daghighian has been practicing litigation throughout the state of California for over 13-years. In this time, Mr. Daghighian has advocated on behalf of California consumers in hundreds of lemon law cases throughout our great state. Mr. Daghighian has also successfully tried numerous such cases to verdict in both Federal and State Court.