Lemon law representation for Rancho Santa Margarita. No fee, no-obligation case evaluations.
Rancho Santa Margarita sits in the Saddleback Valley off the SR-241 toll road in south Orange County, minutes from our Foothill Ranch office along the same corridor.
If a new or leased vehicle has a defect the dealer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts, California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act may entitle the owner to a refund, a replacement, or cash compensation, and the manufacturer typically pays the consumer’s attorney fees.
Clients in Rancho Santa Margarita come to The Hashemi Law Firm with a range of defective-vehicle and warranty issues. Matters we handle include:
Buying used? See our guide to the used car lemon law in California.
Rancho Santa Margarita civil matters are heard in the Orange County Superior Court. The SR-241 and El Toro Road connect residents to the auto centers of Lake Forest and Mission Viejo nearby.
We also serve nearby communities: Mission Viejo Lemon Law Lake Forest Lemon Law Aliso Viejo Lemon Law. Learn more about our full lemon law practice, or contact us for a no fee case evaluation.
California’s lemon law is the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, and its vehicle-specific provisions are the Tanner Consumer Protection Act, codified at California Civil Code section 1793.22. It enforces both the manufacturer’s written (express) warranty and the implied warranty that a vehicle is fit for ordinary use. Two features make California’s law among the strongest in the country: the manufacturer generally pays a prevailing consumer’s attorney fees, and a civil penalty is available for willful violations.
The standard is a “reasonable number” of attempts, but the Tanner Act creates a presumption that a vehicle is a lemon if, within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, the manufacturer made two or more attempts to repair a defect likely to cause serious injury, four or more attempts to repair another substantial defect, or the vehicle was out of service 30 or more cumulative days for warranty repairs.
A qualifying vehicle generally entitles the owner to a buyback (a refund reduced by a statutory deduction for use before the defect was reported) or a comparable replacement, reimbursement of incidental costs such as towing and rental, attorney fees paid by the manufacturer if the consumer prevails, and a civil penalty of up to two times actual damages for willful violations. The 2025 reforms under Assembly Bill 1755 and Senate Bill 26 changed the procedure for bringing a claim — notice requirements and deadlines — not what a vehicle must show to qualify or what a consumer can recover.
In most California lemon law cases the manufacturer pays the prevailing consumer’s attorney fees, so consumers generally pay nothing out of pocket. We begin with a no fee review of your repair history.
Yes. Rancho Santa Margarita civil matters are heard in the Orange County Superior Court. The SR-241 and El Toro Road connect residents to the auto centers of Lake Forest and Mission Viejo nearby. Contact The Hashemi Law Firm for a no fee review of your situation.
It depends on the defect. A reasonable number is often three or four attempts, as few as two for defects likely to cause serious injury, or 30 or more cumulative days out of service for warranty repairs.
It is the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, which requires a manufacturer to repurchase or replace a vehicle when a warranty-covered defect substantially impairs its use, value, or safety and cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts.
Generally a buyback (a refund reduced by a statutory deduction for early use) or a comparable replacement vehicle, plus incidental costs, attorney fees paid by the manufacturer if you prevail, and a civil penalty of up to two times actual damages for willful violations.
Tell us what happened. We offer Rancho Santa Margarita clients a no-fee, no-obligation case evaluation.