California Lemon Law is a collective term that represents various legal codes.
These are broadly prescribed by the Civil Code Section 1790-1790.4 – (Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act) and Civil Code Section 1793.22 – (Tanner Consumer Protection Act), statutes by the California Attorney General’s Office and others.
Once an attorney has told you under which code your case falls under, you will need to gather the documentation for your vehicle’s defects. These documents should describe the problems with transmission, brakes, paint, engine, electrical fixtures, etc. in detail. You will also need a repair invoice history, a service record, the paperwork related to the original purchase of the vehicle (particularly the sales contract), the vehicle’s owner manual and the warranty covering it.
You will then have to fill out a questionnaire/interactive complaint form from the Californian Motor Vehicle Warranty Rights Act department. After this is submitted and approved, you will receive a form that outlines eligibility parameters. If you have hired an attorney, most of the paperwork is processed by the law office.
To initiate the process of a claim under the California Lemon Law, your attorney will need to draft a demand letter to the manufacturer. This will inform the manufacturer that you are initiating a legal process for breach of express and/or implied warranty. A copy of this should be sent to the Consumer Affairs Department and/or Attorney General.
The forms that will eventually need to be filled may include the:
• Office of Consumer Protection Complaint Form
• Lemon Law Complaint Form
• Generic online complaint form (to be downloaded, filled out and submitted to initiate a claim under California Lemon Law.)
• Forms to outline the purchase and repair history of the vehicle, also downloadable.
All forms should also be available at the:
• New Motor Vehicle Board – www.nmvb.ca.gov
• Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Automotive Repair
• Department of Motor Vehicles Bureau of Investigations – www.dmv.ca.gov
• Local District Attorney’s Office
• Office of the Attorney General, Public Inquiry Unit – www.caag.state.ca.us