California Lemon Law: Reasonable Repair Guidelines

Under the Californian lemon law, if a person buys a vehicle or any other consumer goods and the vehicle or goods in question develops a serious defect within the warranty period, then the owner is entitled to a full reimbursement or replacement of the vehicle by the manufacturer or the dealer. This protects the interests of the customers.

The manufacturer gets the opportunity to repair the vehicle in question, but this opportunity is well defined by the law. It states that if the manufacturer is not able to repair the vehicle even after four attempts, in the case of a normal defect or after two attempts, in the case of a serious safety defect or the vehicle cannot be repaired within 30 days of servicing, then the vehicle or the product can be declared a "lemon." Court proceedings can then begin if the owner wants relief.

The defects that are covered under this law are those that considerably impair the use, value or safety of the owner or lessee. There was and still is a lot of confusion and speculation regarding the reasonable number of attempts and the time of the warranty period. The law has been amended some time ago and the warranty period for the vehicle or the product has been extended to eighteen months or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. Before the amendment, the warranty period extended to 12000 miles or one year.

A reasonable number of attempts should be carried out within this warranty period and if not, the manufacturer is absolved from the responsibility of reimbursement or replacement of the vehicle. The reasonable number of attempts clause becomes void if the owner has damaged the vehicle because of negligence or misuse. The law does not provide for those who have irresponsibly or illegally damaged the vehicle.