Any car you might buy or lease could turn out to be a lemon — a faulty motor vehicle with a substantial warranty-covered defect that defies the manufacturer’s multiple repair attempts. California consumers filed more than 22,000 Lemon Law cases in one recent year, according to CalMatters. In just Los Angeles County, almost 10 percent of all civil filings are Lemon Law claims.
Dealing with repeated attempts to repair a car that prove to be futile again and again is a headache no one needs. At The Barry Law Firm in Los Angeles, we focus our practice exclusively on California Lemon Law claims. Since 2010, we have helped thousands of consumers force their vehicles’ manufacturers to buy back their lemon vehicles as required by California’s Lemon Law.
Because we handle so many lemon car cases, we are often asked which manufacturers make the most lemons. A recent study reports the top 10 lemon car makers based on the number of California Lemon Law claims filed against car manufacturers.
Be Wary of These Car Manufacturers in Los Angeles
The Auto Lemon Index is compiled by the CALPIRG Education Fund, the Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS) Foundation, and the Frontier Group. The study answers the question: “Which top-selling auto manufacturers are sued the most, and the least, over defective cars in California?”
Its findings are based on California state electronic court filings of nearly 35,000 Lemon Law claims from a recent three-year period. It lists the following manufacturers with the most Lemon Law lawsuits per vehicles sold in California:
1. General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)
2. Jaguar Land Rover North America (Jaguar, Land Rover)
3. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep, Ram)
4. Nissan North America (Infiniti, Nissan)
5. Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln)
6. Maserati North America (Maserati)
7. Kia Motors America (Kia)
8. Volkswagen Group of America (Audi, Volkswagen)
9. Porsche Cars North America (Porsche)
10. Mercedes-Benz (Mercedes)
Common Vehicle Defects in California Lemon Law Cases
According to the report, consumers who filed Lemon Law claims in California during the time of the study often experienced multiple problems with their cars by the time they resorted to pursuing litigation. They cited a wide range of auto defects, such as:
- Brake failure, including “phantom” braking in traffic when there’s no reason to stop
- Transmissions banging, lurching, surging without warning, or violently shifting gears
- Loss of steering
- Intermittent stalling in traffic
- Doors that fail to open
- Electronic systems malfunctions
The report also says that technological advances have created new problems for vehicle owners. Manufacturers have installed electronics driven by millions of lines of computer code to control virtually all major systems in their vehicles. These developments have significantly increased the risk of software-related malfunctions. This is especially true in high-end vehicles, which tend to have touchscreen controls for climate controls, seat adjustments, infotainment systems, and other functions.
Car Manufacturers with the Most NHTSA Recalls
The number of Lemon Law lawsuits filed in California is much lower than the number of lemons actually sold to consumers in the state, the report says. There are millions more seriously defective vehicles being driven on California’s freeways than court records capture. According to the report, California had 6.3 million vehicles on the road with unrepaired safety recall defects in a recent year. That’s more than any other state in the U.S.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or a vehicle manufacturer will recall motor vehicles when they identify a safety defect or some other issue that makes the car non-compliant with federal standards. These recall notices are often issued for widespread vehicle defects that pose a serious safety risk to vehicle occupants and anyone else on the road with them. NHTSA data reports that the following are the top 10 auto manufacturers with the most recalls issued last year:
Automobile Manufacturers Recall Notices
1. Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) 72
2. Ford Motor Company 67
3. Forest River, Inc. 59
4. BMW of North America, LLC 36
5. General Motors, LLC 34
6. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC 28
7. Hyundai Motor America 25
8. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC 21
9. Daimler Trucks North America, LLC 21
10. Kia America, Inc. 20
According to the Auto Lemon Index report, typical reasons for safety recalls include:
- Faulty brakes
- Steering wheels that come off in the driver’s hands
- Engines or batteries that catch on fire
- Seat belts that fail to work in a crash
- Hoods that fly up in traffic and obscure the driver’s vision
- Intermittent stalling in traffic
- Axles that break
- Transmissions that slip out of gear and cause crashes
- Airbags that shatter into fragments of shrapnel and cause devastating injuries
Keep in mind that recalled vehicles are not necessarily lemons. In most cases, repairs provided in a recall campaign resolve the vehicle’s issues and ensure that it is safe to drive. However, if the recall is for a substantial warranty-covered defect that cannot be repaired even after the manufacturer makes multiple attempts, the vehicle may qualify as a lemon.
I Think My Car Is a Lemon — Now What?
California’s Lemon Law says a motor vehicle may be a lemon if it has a significant defect covered by the manufacturer’s original warranty that the manufacturer has been unable to repair after a reasonable number of attempts. The defect must substantially impact the vehicle’s safety, use, or value.
What’s considered a “reasonable number” of repairs can vary from case to case. Under the state’s Lemon Law, two or more attempts to fix the problem are typically considered reasonable for defects posing a significant danger. If the problem is less severe, the manufacturer may be entitled to more than two attempts to resolve it. In certain circumstances, a vehicle may automatically qualify as a lemon if it is out of service for an inordinate amount of time.
If your motor vehicle qualifies as a lemon under California law, you have the right to demand that the vehicle manufacturer buy it back from you and make you financially whole.
When you think your vehicle is a lemon, you should:
- Review the manufacturer’s warranty to make sure your vehicle’s issue is covered.
- Gather records to document your ownership of the vehicle, including the purchase or lease agreement, car loan documents, and vehicle registration.
- Collect all repair orders and any correspondence with the authorized dealership.
- Assemble receipts and bank or credit card records of money you have spent on costs like license and registration fees, repairs, towing, and rental cars or other alternative transportation.
- Contact The Barry Law Firm about helping you pursue a Lemon Law claim.
Your car manufacturer will not want to buy your faulty vehicle back or pay you anything for what you’ve been through. They may even blame you for your vehicle’s failure. But The Barry Law Firm is devoted solely to helping consumers pursue Lemon Law claims according to the rights and protections provided by California’s Lemon Law.
Our law firm will manage all the details of your Lemon Law claim from start to finish as we aggressively advocate for a fair buyback payment to you. We’ll do everything we can to help you, just as we have helped many others who were in the same frustrating situation as you — all at no cost to you.
Can an Experienced Los Angeles Lemon Law Attorney Help Me with My Lemon?
Whether it’s a vehicle from one of these problematic manufacturers or any other, dealing with a lemon is a serious burden. And even though California’s Lemon Law provides a way to hold manufacturers accountable, it isn’t a simple process. These large manufacturers have legal teams that know the law and how to get out of their obligations to consumers. Having legal representation of your own from an attorney with extensive experience handling Lemon Law claims can make a major difference in your case. The California Lemon Law lawyers at The Barry Law Firm can protect your rights under California law if you have been stuck with a motor vehicle that is a lemon. Our team can help you pursue a Lemon Law claim to seek what you have spent on your faulty vehicle – and we will do it at no charge to you. California’s Lemon Law requires auto manufacturers to pay consumers’ legal fees in successful claims. So you’ll never see a bill from us, no matter the outcome of your case. To learn more, contact The Barry Law Firm today for a FAST & FREE consultation.
