If you meet the requirements of the California lemon law (Song Beverly Consumer Warranty Act - Civil Code section 1790 et seq.) and your vehicle is found to be a lemon, you are entitled to either your money back or a new replacement vehicle.

Money back means your down payment, payments you made (including interest), DMV registration fees, un-reimbursed repair costs, and the payoff on your loan or on the lease. In exchange, you return the lemon vehicle to the manufacturer.

To be fair to manufacturers, the California lemon law allows manufacturers a Use Deduction for your use of the vehicle. This amount is calculated based upon a specific formula stated in the California lemon law. The manufacturer is only entitled to a deduction for your use of the vehicle, which occurred before the date the manufacturer was notified of the defect.

Can I get more than the money I spent for the Lemon Vehicle?

The California lemon law also provides for a civil penalty of up to two times your damages (money you expended out of pocket for the lemon vehicle) if the manufacturer unreasonably refused to buy back your lemon vehicle. The civil penalty is intended by the Legislature to encourage manufacturers to buy back lemon vehicles without litigation. It is hard to get a manufacturer to pay any civil penalty during settlement, but we have been successful in getting a "civil penalty" in some cases without going to trial.

In two recent trials, KABOB was able to get civil penalties of $65,000 and $103,500.

To find out if your vehicle qualifies for buyback or replacement, call us at 1-800-273-4566 or click for a FREE Case Review.