CALIFORNIA – Several California Lemon Law updates go into effect in 2025 to help consumers get faster resolutions when they have defective vehicles.
One recent update, though, gives consumers less protection when buying a used car that still has a valid manufacturer’s warranty.
The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, which covers the Lemon Law, compels auto manufacturers to buy back or replace a defective vehicle or lemon, sold in California.
But recently, the California Supreme Court ruled that the Lemon Law doesn’t require manufacturers to honor warranties for used cars that are sold with an existing warranty.
Unexpired manufacturer’s new car warranty does not qualify
The Lemon Law is triggered when a problem vehicle cannot be fixed despite a “reasonable” number of attempts to repair and remedy the defect.
Typically, a reasonable number of repairs ranges from two to four repair attempts depending on the severity of the problem and the defect’s impact on the vehicle’s safety.
According to court documents, Plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case bought a two-year-old car with over 55,000 miles on it. The car had an unexpired manufacturer’s new car warranty. The car repeatedly experienced engine problems despite numerous repair attempts by defendant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).