Sacramento Lemon Law Lawyers

Sacramento Lemon Law Attorneys

The River City has a lot to offer anyone looking for a good time. Downtown’s R Street corridor, once a rail and industrial district, is now home to upscale eateries, cocktail bars, and art galleries. Old Sac is another crowd-pleasing section of town, especially with museum enthusiasts. The city also has a new $500-million sports and music arena, Golden 1 Center. Shopping for a new car is another popular activity. Giant auto malls are a short distance away in Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.

When it comes to buying a new car in Sacramento, though, an enjoyable activity can sometimes turn miserable. A small percentage of all vehicles are manufactured with mechanical defects. The defect may not become apparent for weeks, months, or even years after purchase. But if you are the unlucky customer who drives one of these “lemons” off the lot, you can expect to be back to the dealership for repairs.

Fortunately, California has a lemon law that ensures your experience will not become a complete nightmare. If the defect is a serious one, and the dealer is unable to repair it (after a reasonable number of tries), then the law gives you the right to a refund or replacement vehicle. Neale & Fhima has lemon law lawyers in Sacramento who can help with this process. You are welcome to contact our Northern California office anytime or keep reading to learn more.

How California’s Lemon Law Works

California’s lemon law is known as the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. The legislature passed the statute a half century ago to help consumers enforce product warranties. With respect to automobiles, the law creates a presumption that a vehicle is a lemon if, within 18 months or 18,000 miles of purchase, any of the following occurs:

• The vehicle has a defect that may cause death or serious injury, and the dealer has been unable to fix it after a minimum of two (2) repair attempts.
• The vehicle has any other type of defect that affects its use, value, or safety, and the dealer has been unable to fix it after a minimum of four (4) repair attempts.
• The vehicle has a defect that affects its use, value, or safety, and the dealer has been unable to fix it after having possession of the vehicle for 30 days.

After establishing that a vehicle qualifies as a lemon, consumers can choose between two remedies. First, they can elect to receive a refund of the purchase price. A pro rata reduction will be applied to account for use of the vehicle prior to the defect’s becoming a problem. Second, they can elect to receive a replacement vehicle in lieu of a refund. The manufacturer must provide an identical or comparable vehicle free of the defect that led to the lemon law claim.

Interesting Facts About the Capital City’s Past

Neale & Fhima represents lemon law clients throughout the Sacramento metro area. This is not just another location where we practice law, though. Sacramento is a place with a long and colorful history – a history that we find fascinating. Here are a few of our favorite anecdotes:

• Good Citizenry Rises from the Ashes. In the 1840s, John Sutter established an adobe trading fort at (what is now) L Street in midtown. By mid-century, the area was overrun with shoddy wooden tenements erected to house immigrants arriving to work in the gold fields. A series of fires devastated the community during these years. In response, a group of locals founded a volunteer fire department – the first in the West.
• A City in the Middle of it All. People often wonder why Sacramento is the state’s capital, rather than a more populated city like Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Jose. It may seem odd now, but 170 years ago it made perfect sense. The Gold Rush in the Sierra Nevada mountains brought droves of would-be prospectors to San Francisco at that time. Located halfway between the mountains and the bay, Sacramento was perfectly situated for the boom.
• Spreading the News About Tower Bridge. One of downtown’s most notable landmarks is the uniquely designed lift bridge spanning the river toward West Sacramento. The bridge was dedicated on December 15, 1935, at the midpoint of the Great Depression. City officials released 1,000 homing pigeons as part of the ceremony to “spread the good news” to the rest of California.

Buying or leasing a new vehicle is not something most of us get to do very often. The experience should be fun. If this is not the case, and your new car does not work like it should, call the Sacramento lemon law firm Neale & Fhima at (888) 407-2955 or send us a message below.