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You bought a used car. It seemed fine at the lot. Now it won’t stop breaking. If your car came with a warranty, the California lemon law may apply, even though it was used at the time of purchase.
This surprises people. The California lemon law isn’t just for new cars. If your used vehicle came with any kind of warranty and the defect showed up during the warranty period, you may have a claim.
The law cares about the warranty, not whether the car was new. More used cars qualify than people expect.
California lemon law may cover used vehicles sold with any of these warranties, if a serious defect appeared during the warranty period.
Still in effect at the time of sale, often 3 years or 36,000 miles, longer for some brands.
A CPO warranty backed by the manufacturer.
A warranty written into the sale, often 30 days to 3 months.
An extended warranty purchased at the time of sale.
The 30-day or 1,000-mile warranty California law requires these dealers to provide.
We’ll review your repair records and purchase paperwork and give you a straight answer.
If the seller followed every legal requirement for an “as is” sale, there’s generally no warranty and a standard lemon law claim doesn’t apply. But a sale only qualifies as “as is” if the seller posted the Buyer’s Guide with the box checked, disclosed the vehicle’s history accurately, disclosed any prior buyback status, and disclosed material defects they knew about.
If the dealer skipped any of these or hid something important, the sale may not actually qualify as “as is.” You may have a dealer fraud claim even when a standard lemon law claim does not apply.
California requires these dealers to provide a minimum 30-day or 1,000-mile warranty on every car they sell. A serious defect in that window may support a claim.
If you bought a used car that was a previously repurchased lemon you were never told about, you may have both a lemon law claim and a dealer fraud claim.
There’s no magic number. For serious safety problems, even two failed attempts may qualify. What matters is whether they had enough chances and failed.
Focused exclusively on automotive law. Lemon law, dealer fraud, and automotive class actions are all we do. Our focus is evident in our results.
20 years against manufacturers and dealers. They have strong legal teams, but we’ve been outmatching them for two decades, and they know it.
$400M+ recovered across 6,000+ cases. Manufacturers don’t pay fairly without a fight, and we know how to make them.
In-house inspection capability. The Margarian Garage lets us physically inspect and document your defect before we file, giving us evidence most firms simply don’t have.
Yes. If your used car came with a manufacturer warranty, a dealer warranty, a CPO warranty, or an extended warranty purchased at sale, and a serious defect appeared during the warranty period, you may have a claim.
If the seller followed all the legal requirements for an “as is” sale, a standard lemon law claim doesn’t apply. But if the dealer hid something important or skipped a required disclosure, you may have a dealer fraud claim instead.
Yes. California requires these dealers to provide a minimum 30-day or 1,000-mile warranty on every car they sell. Defects during that period may support a claim.
California requires manufacturers to brand previously bought-back vehicles with a permanent “Lemon Law Buyback” title and requires sellers to tell you. If you weren’t told, you may have both lemon law and dealer fraud claims.
It varies based on the dealer or manufacturer, the defect, your repair history, and whether the case resolves in negotiation or court. We give you an honest assessment based on your case rather than a promise.
Most consumers do. The law makes the manufacturer pay your attorney fees on a successful outcome, separately, on top of your refund. Representation costs you nothing on a qualifying case and changes what ends up on the table.
If your used car keeps failing and the dealer or manufacturer isn’t making it right, our attorneys are here to help. A free case review is easy, and it could change everything. Call (818) 553-1000.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is evaluated on its individual merits. Outcomes vary based on the manufacturer, defect, repair history, and case posture. Attorney fees in qualifying lemon law cases are paid separately by the manufacturer upon a successful outcome under the California Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
