California Lemon Law Blog

California’s Lemon Law will now protect members of the military stationed in the Golden State. According to a news article in the Marine Corps News (), an amendment to the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a portion of which is better known as the Lemon Law, was changed Jan. 1 to protect all military personnel stationed in California.

The Lemon Law basically protects consumers who buy or lease a motor vehicle that is still under the manufacturer’s warranty. If the vehicle has recurring repairs, malfunctions or problems that affect the use, value or safety of the vehicle and if the manufacturer is not able to fix the problem, this law requires that the manufacturer either give the consumer a full refund or replace the vehicle. Often, the consumer does not have to accept what the manufacturer gives as a replacement vehicle and does have the option to insist that they get a refund instead of a replacement.

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Posted by Howard D. Silver | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: California Lemon Law

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A series of investigative articles by ABC News is revealing that despite a study pointing to a mounting number of deaths and injuries attributed to old and aging tires, the federal safety agency, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not done much about warning consumers about the dangers of these tires and the deceptive business practice of them being sold by major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Sears. According to this report, tires as old as 12 years are being sold as new.

The problem with aging tires is that as they get old, they can dry out and become brittle leading to catastrophic tire tread separations. When a tire tread separation occurs, it usually ends up in serious auto accidents because it causes the driver to lose control of the vehicle. It is a serious safety issue – what experts call “a ticking time bomb.” But NHTSA apparently refused a request from Ford Motor Co. to impose a six-year shelf life on tires. A private safety research firm called Safety Research and Strategies has so far tracked 167 vehicle crashes that may be attributed to old tires causing 192 injuries and 139 deaths.

What we need at this time is for our retailers to stop stocking these old, dangerous tires in their stores. These are defective products that must be taken off the shelves before they can cause more harm, injury or deaths. What is even more dangerous is that consumers are completely unaware about the dangers of these aged tires.

If you or someone you know has been stuck with a defective auto or a lemon, call the California Lemon Law lawyers at the Law Office of Howard Silver for a free consultation.

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Posted In: Unfair/ Deceptive Business Practices

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A recent article in the Los Angeles Times discusses a new online database that will help California auto consumers find the history of the used cars they are purchasing, hopefully preventing the sale of more California lemon automobiles.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau is creating a free public database of vehicles declared unrecovered, a total loss, or stolen by insurers. The new free database will allow individuals to enter vehicle identification numbers, or VINs, to see if the used auto they want to buy has a hidden history.

The crime bureau is a not-for-profit organization that receives support from approximately 1,000 property/casualty insurance companies. The organization partners with insurers and law enforcement agencies to facilitate the identification, detection and prosecution of insurance criminals.

The VIN check system can be found at www.nicb.org.

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Posted by Howard D. Silver | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Used Car Fraud

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