Lake County Lemon Law Attorneys

Dealing With an Unreliable Vehicle in Lake County? Our Lemon Law Attorneys Can Help

Lake County, California, offers a microcosm of California’s stunning natural beauty, combined with small-town living and easy access to several major cities, including San Francisco and Sacramento. No two towns in Lake County are alike, yet all offer sweeping natural vistas, a gateway to California’s wine country, and small-town hospitality.

To travel around Lake County and into the big cities, residents here rely on their vehicles. Buying or leasing a new vehicle should mean getting a reliable, safe car, truck, Hybrid, EV or SUV. 

If you live in Lake County and are dealing with a lemon vehicle, don’t face the problem alone. Talk to a top-rated Lake County lemon law attorney today. The team at Wirtz Law APC can help you understand and protect your rights under California’s lemon law. 

What is California Lemon Law?

California’s lemon law is founded in the state’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. The Act protects vehicle owners when a vehicle has ongoing defects despite multiple repair attempts by the automaker. 

Lemon law protection extends to vehicles that meet the law’s requirements regarding purchase, warranty, defect, and repair. Determining whether your vehicle falls within the law’s protections can be challenging. If you incorrectly conclude you aren’t covered by the lemon law, an automaker is not likely to correct your mistake. 

Don’t guess. Talk to a dedicated lemon law attorney in Lake County. A lawyer can help you understand your rights and protect them against big auto companies. 

What Counts as a Lemon Vehicle in California?

California’s lemon law requires vehicles to meet certain requirements to “count” as lemon vehicles. These requirements include:

• Warranty: The vehicle must be under an original manufacturer’s warranty or certified pre-owned (CPO) warranty when the problems begin. 
• Purchase: The vehicle must be purchased “at retail.” “At retail” usually means from one of the automaker’s dealerships, although some automakers allow retail purchases directly from one of their manufacturing sites. Purchases from a third-party private used-car dealership or from a neighbor or friend typically don’t count. 
• Location: Most vehicles must be purchased in California to be eligible for California lemon law protection. An exception applies for vehicle owners who are also members of the U.S. armed forces on active duty in California.
• Use: The vehicle must be purchased for the owner’s personal, family, or household use. One exception applies to certain small businesses and their vehicles. An attorney can help you determine if your small business qualifies. 

In addition, the vehicle must have a defect that qualifies it for lemon law protection. A “defect,” by definition, impairs the owner’s “use, safety, or value” of the vehicle. It interferes with your ability to use the vehicle, makes the vehicle less safe to drive, or undermines its value to you. 

Types of Car Defects Related to Lemon Law Claims in California

Defects can and do appear in any vehicle part or system. Common defects listed in recent California lemon law claims include: 

• Defects in vehicle frames, paneling, seat mounts, and other fundamental components.
• Problems with safety systems, like malfunctioning airbags, seat belts that don’t work correctly, or safety seat mounts that fail. 
• Battery problems in gasoline, diesel, hybrid, and electric vehicles – many of which result in dangerous battery fires.
• Issues in steering and control systems.
• Problems with brakes and brake systems, which can cause the brakes to fail at a critical moment or to engage at the wrong time, causing injuries. 
• Computer or sensor malfunctions, which can affect any system in the vehicle.
• Defects in vehicle heating or air conditioning systems, which can cause problems ranging from the merely uncomfortable to the actually dangerous. 

Other issues can arise as well. Some vehicles have multiple problems. In some cases, a single defect sets off a chain of events that results in major issues in other vehicle parts or systems. 

What Does California Lemon Law Require Automakers to Do?

Before a vehicle can be declared a “lemon” under California law, the automaker must have a “reasonable number of repair attempts” to fix the vehicle’s problem. 

• A “reasonable number” means you have presented your vehicle at least twice for repairs.  In other words, you must provide the automaker at least two repair attempts before your situation ripens into a lemon law claim.
• A vehicle can also meet the “reasonable number” standard if it remains at a dealership for repairs for longer than 30 days. These 30 days don’t have to occur all at once. They can be spread out over time, as long as they add up to more than 30 total. 

If the automaker reaches the “reasonable number” of repair attempts or more than 30 days of having the vehicle, and the vehicle’s problems still aren’t fixed, the owner can proceed with a lemon law claim. 

How Can An Attorney Help Me File a Lemon Law Claim? 

It’s easy to feel defeated when you’re dealing with a lemon vehicle. Nothing you do seems to work. You take the vehicle to the dealership again and again, but they never seem to fix the problem. When you ask for help with your bills, you’re stonewalled. Getting around has become an ongoing challenge. With all this on your plate, filing a lawsuit feels like the last thing you have time, energy, or money to do.

Compensation for a Lemon Vehicle

The lemon law’s first compensation provisions focus on the vehicle. California lemon law allows the vehicle owner to choose between a replacement vehicle and a “buyback,” or a refund of the vehicle’s purchase price. 

• The replacement vehicle must be “substantially similar” to the lemon vehicle. California law provides guidance for what counts as a “substantially similar” vehicle. Those who choose a replacement vehicle often do so because they trusted their initial choice of vehicle make and model. They simply want what every driver wants: A vehicle free of dangerous defects. 
• A buyback may make sense if you no longer wish to be associated with the vehicle model or the automaker. California’s lemon law provides a method for calculating the value of a buyback, so you’ll know if an automaker tries to lowball you with an offer.

Compensation for Out-of-Pocket Costs Related to a Lemon Vehicle

Filing a lemon law claim may be your best route out of the current problem. California’s lemon law provides several protections for auto owners. Those who wrote the law recognize that a lemon vehicle costs far more than its sticker price. Compensation under the lemon law claim seeks to restore all your losses, not just your car. 

• A buyback or replacement deal with the lemon vehicle. But what about your other costs? A lemon vehicle can come with thousands of dollars in additional expenses. You’re still paying for registration and insurance, even if your vehicle is undrivable. You might be out hundreds or thousands of dollars in towing costs. Rental car fees, rideshare costs, taxis, or bus fare, these costs add up as well. 
• California’s lemon law allows a vehicle owner to recover “incidental and consequential damages.” These are out-of-pocket costs you wouldn’t face if you had a reliable vehicle. An experienced lawyer can help you determine the total amount of these costs – and recover them from the auto company. 

Talk to a top-rated lemon law attorney with experience in Lake County lemon law claims. A lawyer from Wirtz Law can help you weigh the pros and cons of each option. 

Compensation for Attorney’s Fees for a Lemon Law Case

After buying a car only to have that car drain your pocket, hiring an attorney can feel utterly outside your household budget. Recognizing this, lawmakers chose to add an attorney’s fees provision to California’s lemon law. Those who win their lemon law claims have their attorney’s fees paid by the automaker, not from their own pocket. 

Automakers hire attorneys whose sole job is to minimize the amount the company has to pay for lemon law claims. These lawyers will fight back with every legal tool they have, offer lowball settlements, and take any other step needed to ensure you receive as little as possible. 

When you hire a dedicated Lake County lemon law firm, you level the playing field. You gain an ally who knows how auto companies and their attorneys fight – and who fights back for you. 

Contact Our Lake County CA Lemon Law Attorneys at Wirtz Law APC Today!

Dealing with a lemon vehicle is never enjoyable. At times, it can be terrifying. Defects that threaten your health or safety can be dangerous, and all defects deserve prompt repairs and attention. 

If you’ve tried to get your vehicle fixed only to face ongoing problems, speak to an experienced lemon law attorney in Lake County, California, today. Reach out to the team at Wirtz Law APC for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. 

We proudly serve our Northern California communities such as Redding, Trinity County, Anderson, Weed, and Eureka. Although our HQ is located in La Jolla, San Diego, we are able to serve consumers across the Golden State. We have helped and continue to help clients in Central California and Southern California.