California Lemon Law Statutes

California Lemon Law CIVIL CODE

SECTION 1790-1790.4 1790. This chapter may be cited as the “Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.” California Lemon Law CIVIL CODE SECTION 1791-1791.3California Lemon Law 1791. As used in this chapter:

  • “Consumer goods” means any new product or part thereof that is used, bought, or leased for use primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, except for clothing and consumables. “Consumer goods” shall include new and used assistive devices sold at retail.
  • “Lessor” means a person who regularly leases consumer goods under a lease.
  • “Manufacturer” means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal relationship that manufactures, assembles, or produces consumer goods.
  • “Place of business” means, for the purposes of any retail seller that sells consumer goods by catalog or mail order, the distribution point for consumer goods.
  • “Retail seller,” “seller,” or “retailer” means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal relationship that engages in the business of selling or leasing consumer goods to retail buyers.

California Lemon Law 1791.2.

  • “Express warranty” means: A written statement arising out of a sale to the consumer of a consumer good pursuant to which the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer undertakes to preserve or maintain the utility or performance of the consumer good or provide compensation if there is a failure in utility or performance; or
  • Statements or representations such as expressions of general policy concerning customer satisfaction which are not subject to any limitation do not create an express warranty.

1791.3. As used in this chapter, a sale “as is” or “with all faults” means that the manufacturer, distributor, and retailer disclaim all implied warranties that would otherwise attach to the sale of consumer goods under the provisions of this chapter.

California Lemon Law CIVIL CODE

SECTION 1792-1795.8

California Lemon Law 1792. Unless disclaimed in the manner prescribed by this chapter, every sale of consumer goods that are sold at retail in this state shall be accompanied by the manufacturer’s and the retail seller’s implied warranty that the goods are merchantable. The retail seller shall have a right of indemnity against the manufacturer in the amount of any liability under this section.

California Lemon Law 1792.1. Every sale of consumer goods that are sold at retail in this state by a manufacturer who has reason to know at the time of the retail sale that the goods are required for a particular purpose and that the buyer is relying on the manufacturer’s skill or judgment to select or furnish suitable goods shall be accompanied by such manufacturer’s implied warranty of fitness.

California Lemon Law 1792.2.

Every sale of consumer goods that are sold at retail in this state by a retailer or distributor who has reason to know at the time of the retail sale that the goods are required for a particular purpose, and that the buyer is relying on the retailer’s or distributor’s skill or judgment to select or furnish suitable goods shall be accompanied by such retailer’s or distributor’s implied warranty that the goods are fit for that purpose.

    California Lemon Law 1792.4.

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    No sale of goods, governed by the provisions of this chapter, on an “as is” or “with all faults” basis, shall be effective to disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability or, where applicable, the implied warranty of fitness, unless a conspicuous writing is attached to the goods which clearly informs the buyer, prior to the sale, in simple and concise language of each of the following:

    The goods are being sold on an “as is” or “with all faults” basis.

      California Lemon Law 1793.

      Except as provided in Section 1793.02, nothing in this chapter shall affect the right of the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer to make express warranties with respect to consumer goods. However, a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer, in transacting a sale in which express warranties are given, may not limit, modify, or disclaim the Implied warranties guaranteed by this chapter to the sale of consumer goods.

      California Lemon Law 1793.02.

      All new and used assistive devices sold at retail in this state shall be accompanied by the retail seller’s written warranty which shall contain the following language: “This assistive device is warranted to be specifically fit for the particular needs of you, the buyer. If the device is not specifically fit for your particular needs, it may be returned to the seller within 30 days of the date of actual receipt by you or completion of fitting by the seller, whichever occurs later. If you return the device, the seller will either adjust or replace the device or promptly refund the total amount paid. This warranty does not affect the protections and remedies you have under other laws.” In lieu of the words “30 days” the retail seller may specify any longer period.

        California Lemon Law 1793.025.

        All new and used wheelchairs, including, but not limited to, wheelchairs that are motorized or have been otherwise customized to suit the needs of the user, shall be accompanied by the manufacturer’s or lessor’s written express warranty that the wheelchair is free of defects. The duration of the warranty shall be for a period of at least one year from the date of the first delivery of a new wheelchair to the consumer, or at least 60 days from the date of the first delivery of a used, refurbished, or reconditioned wheelchair to the consumer. If the written express warranty is not furnished to the consumer, the wheelchair nonetheless shall be deemed to be covered by the express warranty. This section shall not apply to wheelchairs manufactured specifically for athletic, competitive, or off-road use.

        Every manufacturer making an express warranty with respect to an electronic or appliance product described in subdivision (h), (i), (j), or (k) of Section 9801 of the Business and Professions Code, with a wholesale price to the retailer of one hundred dollars ($100) or more, shall make available to service and repair facilities sufficient service literature and functional parts to effect the repair of a product for at least seven years after the date a product model or type was manufactured, regardless of whether the seven-year period exceeds the warranty period for the product

          California Lemon Law 1793.05. Vehicle manufacturers who alter new vehicles into house cars shall, in addition to any new product warranty, assume any warranty responsibility of the original vehicle manufacturer for any and all components of the finished product which are, by virtue of any act of the alterer, no longer covered by the warranty issued by the original vehicle manufacturer.

          California Lemon Law 1793.1.

          • Every manufacturer, distributor, or retailer making express warranties with respect to consumer goods shall fully set forth those warranties in simple and readily understood language, which shall clearly identify the party making the express warranties, and which shall conform to the federal standards for disclosure of warranty terms and conditions set forth in the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty-Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act (15 U.S.C. Sec.2301 et seq.), and in the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission adopted pursuant to the provisions of that act. If the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer provides a warranty or product registration card or form, or an electronic online warranty or product registration form, to be completed and returned by the consumer, the card or form shall contain statements, each displayed in a clear and conspicuous manner, that do all of the following:
          • Informs the consumer that the card or form is for product registration.
          • Informs the consumer that failure to complete and return the card or form does not diminish his or her warranty rights.

          California Lemon Law 1793.2.

          • Every manufacturer of consumer goods sold in this state and for which the manufacturer has made an express warranty shall:
          • Maintain in this state sufficient service and repair facilities reasonably close to all areas where its consumer goods are sold to carry out the terms of those warranties or designate and authorize in this state as service and repair facilities independent repair or service facilities reasonably close to all areas where its consumer goods are sold to carry out the terms of the warranties.
          • A claim against a person or entity that is not the manufacturer that originally made the express warranty for that manufactured product.

          California Lemon Law 1793.22.

          • This section shall be known and may be cited as the Tanner Consumer Protection Act.
          • For the purposes of subdivision (d) of Section 1793.2 and this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
          • “Nonconformity” means a nonconformity which substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the new motor vehicle to the buyer or lessee.

          California Lemon Law 1793.23.

          • The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
          • That the expansion of state warranty laws covering new and used cars has given important and valuable protection to consumers.

          One of the most important parts of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is its fee shifting provision. This provision provides that you may recover the attorney fees incurred in the prosecution of your case if you are successful ? independent of how much you actually win. That rational behind this fee shifting provision is to twofold: (1) to ensure you will be able to vindicate your rights without having to expend large sums on attorney’s fees and (2) because automobile manufacturers are able to write off all expenses of defense as a legitimate business expense, whereas you, the average consumer, obviously does not have that kind of economic staying power. Most of the Lemon Laws contain similar fee shifting provisions.

          You may also derive additional warranty rights from the Uniform Commercial Code; however, the Code does not allow you in most states to recover your attorney fees and is also not as consumer friendly as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act or the various state lemon laws. The narrative information on Magnuson-Moss, UCC and lemon laws on these pages is provided by Marshall Meyers, attorney.

          Uniform Commercial Code Summary

          The Uniform Commercial Code or UCC has been enacted in all 50 states and some of the territories of the United States. It is the primary source of law in all contracts dealing with the sale of products. The TARR refers to Tender, Acceptance, Rejection, Revocation and applies to different aspects of the consumer’s “relationship” with the purchased goods.

          TENDER – The tender provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code contained in Section2-601 provide that the buyer is entitled to reject any goods that fail in any respect to conform to the contract. Unfortunately, new cars are often technically complex and their innermost workings are beyond the understanding of the average new car buyer. The buyer, therefore, does not know whether the goods are then conforming.

          ACCEPTANCE – The new car buyer accepts the goods believing and expecting that the manufacturer will repair any problem he has with the goods under the warranty.

          REJECTION –

          The new car buyer may discover a problem with the vehicle within the first few miles of his purchase. This would allow the new car buyer to reject the goods. If the new car buyer discovers a defect in the car within a reasonable time to inspect the vehicle, he may reject the vehicle. This period is not defined. On the one hand, the buyer must be given a reasonable time to inspect and that reasonable time to inspect will be held as an acceptance of the vehicle. The Courts will decide this reasonable time to inspect based on the knowledge and experience of the buyer, the difficulty in discovering the defect, and the opportunity to discover the defect.The following is an example of a case of rejection: Mr. Zabriskie purchase a new 1966 Chevrolet Biscayne. After picking up the car on Friday evening, while en route to his home 2.5 miles away, and within 7/10ths of a mile from the dealership, the car stalled and stalled again within 15 feet. Thereafter, the car would only drive in low gear. The buyer rejected the vehicle and stopped payment on his check. The dealer contended that the buyer could not reject the car because he had driven it around the block and that was his reasonable opportunity to inspect. The New Jersey Court said;

          It is suggested that Courts will tend to excuse use by consumers if possible.

          REVOCATION:

          What happens when the consumer has used the new car for a lengthy period of time? This is the typical lemon car case. The UCC provides that a buyer may revoke his acceptance of goods whose non-conformity substantially impairs the value of the goods to him when he has accepted the goods without discovery of a non-conformity because it was difficult to discover or if he was assured that non-conformities would be repaired. Of course, the average new car buyer does not learn of the nonconformity until hundreds of thousands of miles later. And because quality is job one, and manufacturers are competing on the basis of their warranties, the consumer always is assured that any noncomformities he does discover will be remedied. What is a noncomformity substantially impairing the value of the vehicle?

          A noncomformity may include a number of relatively minor defects whose cumulative total adds up to a substantial impairment. This is the “Shake Faith” Doctrine first stated in the Zabrisikie case. “For a majority of people the purchase of a new car is a major investment, rationalized by the peace of mind that flows from its dependability and safety. Once their faith is shaken, the vehicle loses not only its real value in their eyes, but becomes an instrument whose integrity is substantially impaired and whose operation is fraught with apprehension”.

          Additional narrative information on Magnusson-Moss, UCC and lemon laws on these pages is provided by T. Michael Flinn, attorney.

          Article Source: sooperarticles.com/law-articles/california-lemon-law-statutes-171006.html

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          This article is originally published here: California Lemon Law Statutes California lemon law attorneys at Krohn & Moss, Ltd, handle California lemon law claims for consumers in California. We stay informed of the latest legal developments to get the best results for your claim. Author: Walker Ozar