If you discover that your vehicle qualifies as a “lemon” under California law, act now to retain legal counsel! If you are dealing with reoccurring issues with your vehicle and you are not sure if it qualifies under Lemon Law, contact the Law Office of Alex Cha & Associates for help. You have legal rights and may be entitled to compensation for your faulty vehicle, but you must file your claim within certain time limits.
Many consumers with valid lemon law claims do not realize there is a time limit to file the lawsuit in California. If you miss your window of opportunity, not only will you be stuck with a faulty vehicle, but you won’t get the financial reimbursement that you are entitled to receive.
What are California’s Lemon Law Time Limits?
California’s statute of limitations sets the deadline for you to file your claim and, if you miss it, then your claim is forfeited. This means you are left with a faulty vehicle, which can be very inconvenient and costly for somebody who relies on their car or truck in their daily life.
When you file a lawsuit under the lemon law, it is similar to a breach of warranty claim. The California Commercial Code sets a four-year statute of limitations in these types of lawsuits. It typically takes a while to determine that your vehicle is a lemon, so it is important to confer with an attorney as soon as you suspect that your vehicle is faulty. The California Lemon Law deadline applies to every aspect of your claim, including any civil penalty claims.
When does the time limit start?
You might think that the deadline to file a California lemon law claim starts when you purchase or lease your vehicle. However, your deadline does not start until you “should have known” that the vehicle was a lemon. Your time begins running from the date a reasonable consumer would have realized that the manufacturer was not going to be able to repair the defect. This subjective standard leaves room for interpretation and the date the statute of limitations began to run is typically a contested issue. This is one of many reasons why it is imperative for you to retain an experienced lemon law attorney to represent you in filing a lawsuit.
If you believe you have a California Lemon Law claim, contact the Law Office of Alex Cha & Associates to increase your chances of reaching a beneficial resolution. We will show the manufacturer that you are serious about pursuing your rights and we will ensure that your lawsuit is properly filed within the statute of limitations period.