What To Do If You Have Leased A Lemon

Though the statistics fluctuate, almost a third of all cars are leased. There are several reasons why many people choose to lease rather than own them. For example, cars depreciate quickly, and people who lease know that someone will take the car off their hands when the lease expires. At San Diego Lemon Law, we help clients navigate their most complex issues after purchasing a lemon. Let’s look at why someone may opt to lease in terms of safety and reliability.

Generally, newer cars are expected to have fewer issues than older ones. People who lease not only get to use a new car, but they will be doing it while the car is still under warranty. Technological advances and safety features evolve rapidly. Drivers who use leased cars expect these safety features to work as advertised, especially if these up-to-date features were the catalyst for their choice to lease rather than buy. However, leasing a lemon may negate these. Having an unsafe car that continually needs repairs or has defects with something that is used regularly (such as an infotainment system) forces the consumer to take recourse.

Leases & Lemon Laws

California’s lemon laws protect consumers who lease their cars. If having a vehicle that is still under warranty was your most significant factor for leasing, it will also be critical in resolving your lemon issue. The law protects people who purchase or lease cars still under warranty. To know whether you have bought a lemon, ask yourself whether the defective part or parts impact your car’s use, safety, or value.

The manufacturer must be given a chance to resolve the issue for you. You must take your car back to the dealer at least two times to give them that chance.  (All of these repairs need to be documented, and if the dealership doesn’t provide this, you need to ask them for it.) Another reason why this is important is that your car may have multiple issues that force you to continually return to the dealership for repairs. The dealer is also required to make a successful repair within 30 days out of service—and this is cumulative as opposed to consecutive days.

San Diego Lemon Law

Resolving the issues associated with buying a lemon car will not cost you anything. By law, the manufacturer pays the cost of your attorney’s fees. Attorney Doug Sohn has focused solely on lemon law for more than twenty years. When you meet with us, we can give you a better understanding of how long the process will take and how we can resolve this problem for you. Contact San Diego Lemon Law to schedule your free consultation.