Manufacturer’s Warranty Still Applicable

As a general rule, if a warranty is still in effect when you purchase your vehicle, then you are entitled to default protection under California’s Lemon Law — this warranty can either be provided by the manufacturer or the dealer. The warranty does not have to be the original one that was provided to the first purchaser. So long as there is an active warranty (even if it was resold with a new warranty after a number of years), Lemon Law protections will apply to the purchased vehicle.

It’s worth noting that purchasers are still required to make reasonable attempts to repair the defects at-issue, just the same as with a “new” vehicle. In many other respects, too, Lemon Law requirements and protections will apply. For example, the same vehicle categories are covered — whether used or new. California Used Car Lemon Law covers vehicles that are purchased primarily for personal, family, or household use, as well as commercial use (but only if the vehicle weighs less than 10,000 lbs).

Car Sold As-Is

Purchasing a vehicle as-is means that the purchaser takes on full responsibility for potential defects (i.e., “buyer beware”). Naturally, a used car that is sold as-is will not qualify for California Lemon Law protection.

If you’ve purchased a used car as-is, however, all is not necessarily lost — if the seller did not properly market the car as-is, or otherwise disclose that information to you when you purchased the vehicle, then they may not escape application of Lemon Law regulations.