Lemon Law Myths

Myth: The lemon law applies only to motor vehicles.

Fact: The lemon law applies to any consumer product with a warranty. The lemon law applies to products such as RVs, motor homes, travel trailers, motorcycles, computers, household goods such as TVs, furniture and appliances, and to such things as jet skis, snowmobiles, power tools and equipment, musical instruments, and even medical devices such as wheel chairs and hearing aids. The only requirement is that it be primarily for personal or family use, except in certain limited instances.

Myth: The lemon law does not apply to RV’s, motor homes and travel trailers.

Fact: The lemon law applies to all consumer goods, even RV’s, motor homes and travel trailers. Motorhome lemon cases are usually more complex due to the different warranties that are involved. For example, usually the chassis (or frame) and the coach are built by different manufacturers and covered by different warranties. The appliances and a/c systems may also be covered by separate warranties as well. However, the same rules that apply to auto lemons also apply to motor homes and other RVs.

Myth: The lemon law does not apply to motorcycles.

Fact: Motorcycles are motor vehicles and are covered by the lemon law, just like cars.

Myth: The lemon law does not apply to used goods.

Fact: The lemon law applies to used vehicles and other used goods if they were sold with a warranty or a promise to repair problems.

Myth: The lemon law does not apply to vehicles used for business purposes.

Fact: Vehicles bought for business use are covered by the lemon law if they are less than 10,000 lbs. and if the business does not own more then 5 motor vehicles. This covers most small businesses.

Myth: The lemon law does not apply to leased vehicles or products.

Fact: Leased vehicles and other products have the same lemon law protection as purchased products.

Myth: There is no protection under the lemon law after the warranty expires.

Fact: If problems existed within the warranty period, and were not repaired, the warranty still applies until the problem is fixed.

Myth: Four repair attempts are required before the lemon law applies.

Fact: The lemon law may apply with as few as two repairs. It depends on the type of problem and the kind of repairs that were done. The key question is “were there reasonable repair attempts?”

Contact William M. Krieg & Associates for a free consultation with a California auto lemon law attorney.