Experienced Santa Ana Lemon Law Attorneys
The Law Offices of the Lemon Law Experts proudly serve as one of the top lemon law firms in Santa Ana. Each of our lemon law attorneys holds an incredibly successful track record of assisting customers throughout California in receiving compensation and justice for their lemon vehicles.
Our team’s mission is to make sure that every one of our clients is treated fairly and they receive justice for the problems they endured after buying or leasing a lemon, as swiftly as possible.
There are various legal remedies available under California law to help consumers who have purchased or leased lemons. These remedies, however, can be extremely difficult to secure without help from a highly skilled, experienced lemon law attorney. If you believe that you may have purchased or leased a lemon in Santa Ana or anywhere else in California, we can help you maximize the financial compensation you are owed.
There are no upfront costs or retainer fees when you decide to work with the Lemon Law Experts and our team is not paid unless we are able to resolve your case successfully. As a prevailing party with a lemon law buyback, the auto manufacturer is obligated to cover your legal fees, so there is no risk when you enlist our help.
Our team of Lemon Law Experts is notorious among the top, big-name auto manufacturers. They know exactly how hard we fight for our clients’ rights and how far we are willing to go to win. No matter the manufacturer or dealer, we have the expertise and ability to help you seek both the compensation and justice you are dutifully owed.
What am I entitled to if I have leased or purchased a lemon in California?
If your car or other consumer good is legally presumed to be a “lemon,” then you are entitled to a refund or replacement of that vehicle if the manufacturer is unable to fix the good within a reasonable number of repair attempts under warranty. In California, lemon laws can apply to used, new, leased, or purchased vehicles with written warranties. Under state and federal lemon laws, you may be entitled to cash compensation, a replacement car, or a lemon law refund if you have purchased or leased a lemon.
You still may qualify for cash compensation even if your vehicle is not legally presumed to be a “lemon.” This money is meant to reimburse you for the problems in your vehicle that have diminished its value.
Even if your car’s problems do not amount to “substantial impairment” of our car’s safety, use, or value, you may still be eligible for cash compensation. Auto manufacturers frequently offer consumers “cash and keep settlements” in which you can keep your car and receive a sum of money in exchange for the issues you had with the car. In this type of agreement, the remainder of your warranty continues to apply.
If it is determined that you have purchased or leased a lemon, you may qualify for a replacement vehicle. The replacement vehicle must be substantially similar to the make/model of the lemon. With a replacement vehicle agreement, the manufacturer is obligated to reimburse you for any incidental or consequential expenses involving your lemon, so as towing or rental car fees. Keep in mind that you are responsible for any difference in price between the lemon and the replacement vehicle and any applicable usage fee.
The most ideal and most common lemon law remedy is the refund or “buyback.” In a lemon law refund, if you have purchased a lemon, your refund will reimburse you for monthly payments, down payments, sales tax, finance charges, rental car fees, towing fees, and payment of your loan balance.
If you have leased a lemon, your refund will consist of lease payments, down payments, sales tax, finance charges, rental car expenses, towing expenses, and payment of any remaining lease obligations. Note that if you are not the original owner of the vehicle, then your refund will be calculated with your purchase price and not the purchase price of the original owner.
What is the lemon law legal presumption in California?
A legal presumption is a legal principle that allows a judge to use the evidence at hand to infer that a fact is true. After a presumption has been established, the defending party has the chance to refute it. The California Lemon Law legal presumption establishes guidelines to determine whether your vehicle is a lemon.
The lemon legal law presumption differs from state to state. Under California law, the lemon law presumption assumes that a vehicle is a lemon if any of the following occur within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles following the purchase or lease of the vehicle:
- The vehicle is repaired at least twice for a severe manufacturing defect that can result in bodily injury or death
- The vehicle is repaired at least four times for the same, non-substantial safety defect; or
- The vehicle spends over 30 calendar days out of service due to any defect
If you can demonstrate any of these three scenarios, then your vehicle may be legally presumed to be a lemon. You would then have met the burden of demonstrating that the manufacturer had a reasonable number of repair attempts to fix your car. The legal burden would then shift to the manufacturer, dealer, or other defending party to establish otherwise.
I don’t believe my car fits the lemon law legal presumption, could I still qualify for relief?
You may still have a lemon law claim even if your situation does not perfectly support California’s lemon law legal presumption. If you can demonstrate that your vehicle has serious manufacturing issues that the manufacturer has been unable to fix under warranty, you could still be eligible for a lemon law refund, replacement car, or cash compensation. Cars that do not fit California’s lemon law legal presumption regularly qualify for lemon law relief.
What type of vehicle problems qualify for lemon law compensation?
Any issue that affects important systems of your vehicle, such as its transmission, engine, steering, braking, or electrical system generally qualifies if it affects the safety, value, or use of your vehicle. It is impossible to list all the car issues that can qualify for lemon law relief in California, however, these are among the most common:
- Abnormal noises
- Airbag failure
- Check engine light
- Defective fob/key
- Engine failure
- Fluid Leaks
- Lunging
- Oil consumption issues
- Power loss
- Rough Idle
- Shuddering
- Structural design errors
- Strange odors
- Sudden acceleration/deceleration
Even if the issues with your vehicle seem somewhat minor, they could still be early indicators of more serious problems. The minute you begin to have trouble with your car, you should take it to a certified dealership or service provider for repairs. Taking your vehicle in for repairs during the warranty period will help strengthen your lemon law claim.
To know with certainty that the manufacturing problem in your vehicle qualifies for lemon law compensation, you should speak with a qualified lemon law attorney.
Lemon Law attorneys are ideally qualified to assist you because they are familiar with cases just like yours. Without great legal representation, you could miss out on a large sum of money. In the worst case, you may even risk losing a lawsuit. Hiring an Expert Lemon Law Attorney can greatly improve your chances of both winning your case and maximizing your recovery.
Work with leading Lemon Law Attorneys in Santa Ana
There are various factors that can play a role in the outcome of your lemon law claim. Although not required, we highly recommend that you consult with a reputable lemon law attorney before filing a claim against an auto manufacturer.
Large automakers like Toyota, General Motors, or Tesla use high-power lemon law attorneys who exclusively specialize in state and federal lemon laws, which can be incredibly complex to understand. To maximize your chances of winning against a large auto manufacturer, you should enlist the help of a highly skilled lemon law attorney.
If you live in Santa Ana and suspect that you may have purchased or leased a lemon and are wondering about your options, the Lemon Law Experts can help you. Our attorneys can assess the unique details of your situation to help you determine if you qualify for compensation, at no additional cost to you. Remember, our team does not get paid unless you win your case. You can be certain that your team of Experts in Lemon Law will work extremely hard to maximize what is owed to you in recovery.
Our Santa Ana lemon law attorneys are available to answer any questions you may have, no matter where you are in the process. Get the compensation and justice you deserve by giving us a call at 877-885-5366 or by filling out an online case evaluation form today.
