Does the California Lemon Law Have A Mileage Limit?

The California Lemon Law itself does not have a specific mileage limit. However, a vehicle’s warranty coverage typically only extends for a certain number of miles. If your car has a problem that began while covered under the warranty period, your car may qualify as a lemon under California’s Lemon Law – regardless of its current mileage. The key factor is whether the issue occurred within the warranty period, which often includes a mileage limit set by the manufacturer. As long as the problem first arose while the vehicle was still under warranty, you may be eligible for protection under the Lemon Law, even if the car has since exceeded the warranty’s mileage limit during the repair attempts.

If you have been told by the car dealership attempting to repair your vehicle in California that your vehicle has too many miles to be considered a lemon vehicle, contact a Lemon Law attorney at The Barry Law Firm in Los Angeles. A Lemon Law attorney can review whether the Lemon Law applies and discuss your eligibility to file a California Lemon Law claim. Our law firm focuses exclusively on Lemon Law cases.

If we handle your Lemon Law claim, we will guide you through the legal process without charging you any legal fees, no matter the outcome. Car manufacturers are required to pay the attorney’s fees for successful Lemon Law lawsuits under the California Lemon Law. That means you’ll never get a bill from us.

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What Is the California Lemon Law?

California’s Lemon Law says an automobile buyer (or lessee) whose vehicle qualifies as a lemon may demand that the car’s manufacturer provide a replacement vehicle or buy the vehicle back and repay costs associated with buying and attempting to repair the vehicle.

Monetary restitution is to include:

• The actual price paid by the buyer, including any charges for transportation and manufacturer-installed options.
• Collateral charges, such as sales or use tax, license fees, registration fees, and other official fees.
• Incidental costs, including reasonable repair, towing, and rental car costs actually incurred by the buyer.

Most cases require a lawsuit, which is best handled by a knowledgeable attorney. At The Barry Law Firm, our seasoned attorneys focus exclusively on Lemon Law cases and are ready to review whether the Lemon Law applies to your defective vehicle.

California Lemon Law Mileage Limit

California’s Lemon Law itself does not have a set mileage limit to qualify for consumer protection; the mileage limit is typically determined by the vehicle’s warranty coverage.

California’s Lemon Law provides that if “after a reasonable number of attempts,” a manufacturer fails to repair a vehicle covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, the manufacturer shall either replace the vehicle or reimburse the purchase price paid to the buyer.

A reasonable number of repairs can vary from case to case. If the defect poses a significant danger of causing serious injury, under California Lemon Law, two or more attempts to fix the problem are typically considered reasonable.

If the problem is less severe, manufacturers may be entitled to more than two attempts to fix the problem. In certain circumstances, if your vehicle is out of service for an inordinate amount of time your vehicle may automatically qualify as a lemon.

Impact of Mileage on California Lemon Law Claims

The mileage on a lemon vehicle is only a concern once the manufacturer agrees to a settlement or it is ordered by the court. At that point, California’s Lemon Law allows manufacturers to adjust the refund or replacement value based on miles put on the vehicle prior to the problems.

To determine the mileage offset, the dealer must multiply the miles the car had on it when you first presented it for repair by the cash price you paid, then divide this figure by 120,000. The Lemon Law mileage offset is supposed to account for wear and tear on the vehicle, thus loss of value, before the irreparable issue becomes a consideration.

How to Qualify? It’s About Repair Attempts, Not Miles

In the end, you may benefit from the very real consumer protections offered by the state’s Lemon Law if you can demonstrate you have made a reasonable number of attempts to repair an issue covered by your vehicle’s manufacturer’s warranty. You should keep records of repair attempts and your correspondence with the dealership.

If you are not doing so already, start saving all work orders, invoices and receipts from work done on your vehicle. Save invoices from towing and other incidental costs, and copies of any correspondence with the dealership or manufacturer.

Contact The Barry Law Firm. An experienced Lemon Law attorney can help you understand whether you have a Lemon Law claim. If so, The Barry Law Firm can help you pursue the consumer protections the California Lemon Law provides you.

Contact Our California Lemon Law Lawyers Today

The Barry Law Firm’s Lemon Law attorneys in Los Angeles, California, will help you stand up to car dealers and manufacturers. We have helped thousands of frustrated consumers in California just like you without charging them a penny for our legal services. California’s Lemon Law requires car manufacturers to pay our attorneys’ fees when we bring successful Lemon Law cases.

Reach out now online or at 877-LEMON-03 for a free consultation about how The Barry Law Firm can help you.