Since 1970 Golden State automobile buyers have been protected by California’s Lemon Law – legislation signed in by then Gov. Ronald Reagan that grants consumers protection against purchasing or leasing a new vehicle and finding out its defective and unrepairable. The law also covers used cars if they still have time left on the manufacturer’s warranty. Under the law as it was signed in 1970, the consumer is then entitled to a new vehicle once a reasonable number of repairs have been attempted.
That law is changing on January 1st, and non-profit news organization CalMatters says that the changes were developed in secret committee hearings without the transparency that usually exists in the creation of assembly bills.
According to the text of Assembly BIll 1755, the car owner and the auto company that supplied the lemon are required to try and settle their dispute via mediation before going to a trial. The revised bill will also allow less time for a car buyer to sue over an unrepairable vehicle.
Lawmakers say these extra steps will keep more Lemon Law car cases out of the jammed-up court systems, where over 22,000 lemon law cases were filed last year alone.
Critics say the weakened consumer protections aren’t worth the trade-off of less court cases in California’s judicial system.
The new law goes into effect tomorrow – you can find links at this story on our website for more information on California’s Lemon Law as it stands today, along with a link to CalMatter’s extensive reporting on the closed-door negotiations that lead to the revised law.
