California Lemon Law Blog

Nissan Motor Co. has announced the recall of 79,275 vehicles due to fuel system problems. The recalled Nissan vehicles include the Juke, Infiniti M, and QX models from 2011-2012. While no accidents or injuries have been reported in connection with the defect, incidents involving fuel leakage have been reported since November 2011.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the problem stems from the vehicles’ fuel-pressure sensors. Apparently, the sensors were not tightened properly and can come loose from heat and vibration. Also, if the sensors become dislodged, fuel can leak from the opening and potentially cause a fire. Nissan will replace the fuel sensors for free beginning March 19th. In the two weeks prior to this recall, Nissan recalled almost 1,000 Altima and Versa sedans due to problems with side airbags, and 36,000 Versa sedans for gearshift problems.

Problems with fuel leakage, airbags, and transmissions can result in the use, value, and safety of the vehicle being compromised. When these problems cannot be fixed in a reasonable number of repair attempts, your vehicle is a lemon pursuant to the California Lemon Law.

If you believe your vehicle qualifies as a lemon, Howard D. Silver, the Riverside lemon law attorney, can help. For more information, call the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver today at (866) 49-LEMON for a free consultation.

Although consumers are protected from illegal debt collection practices by the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), new technology and the rapidly-growing use of social media, may provide new ways for collectors to thwart these protections. The FDCPA took effect in 1978 and currently has no provisions which explicitly prevent collectors from contacting a person through social media, according to a report by USNews.com.

Arguably, however, despite explicit provisions, FDCPA protection should be applied to any sort of social media contact, such as posting on someone’s Facebook wall or Tweeting them, to collect a debt. In fact, debt collectors have been known to try and friend debtors under various disguises to access profiles and contact debtors via social networks. Beyond social network sites, a collector can find a person’s cell phone number or work address, or contact friends and family members to learn a person’s whereabouts.

It is recommended that valuable personal and contact information not be made readily available via social networking, especially if you owe money. Additionally, check privacy settings so that only friends can see your information or photos. Also, do not accept friend requests from people you don’t know. They may be debt collectors or even spammers.

Depending on the circumstances, contact from a debtor collector through social media may be illegal under state and federal law. If you or a loved one has been the victim of such tactics, Los Angeles fair debt collection lawyer Howard D. Silver can help. Contact us today for a consultation on your case at (866) 495-3666.

A recent study by identity theft and credit management institute Privacy Guard found that more and more people are becoming susceptible to identity theft and their taxes. Due to common misconceptions and lack of knowledge about contacts from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. citizens are at risk of having their identities stolen, according to a recent report by The Sacramento Bee.

According to a 2010 Consumer Complaint Report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 15% of identity theft claims were caused by tax or wage fraud. A survey by Privacy Guard showed that while people are knowledgeable about protecting their identities and information, they are unsure about the IRS. Many mistakenly believed the IRS can contact them through email instead of realizing this can be an identity theft trap.

In order to avoid tax-related fraud from affecting you or a loved one, be aware of any suspicious contact concerning tax refunds, filing, or checks. Also, make sure your tax preparer is legitimate and mail your tax documents in a secure way. When you are finished with documents that contain confidential information thread them. Do not put them in a trash bin where they can be accessed by an identity thief. Also, secure the information on your computer to keep thieves from accessing your personal data.

Identity theft can damage your finances and can be difficult to prove or remove from your financial records. For help, contact San Bernardino identity theft attorney, Howard D. Silver. For more information, call the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver at (866) 495-3666.

The Los Angeles Times and Edmunds.com recently teamed up to create a list of the worst cars ever sold in America.

According to Edmunds and The LA Times, the cars are:

1. 2001 Pontiac Aztek
2. 1974 Ford Mustang II
3. 1987 Yugo
4. 1971 Chevrolet Vega
5. 2003 Saturn Ion
6. 1958 Edsel Corsair
7. 1982 Cadillac Cimarron
8. 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Diesel
9. 1917 Chevrolet Series D
10. 1971 Ford Pinto

When your car cannot be fixed after a reasonable number of attempts it may be a lemon entitling you to your money back or a replacement vehicle. If you find yourself in this position, San Bernardino lemon law attorney Howard D. Silver can help. For more information contact the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver at (866) 49-LEMON.

After three years of investigation into allegations that NCO Financial Systems, Inc. misled consumers and practiced deceptive debt collection techniques, the company has settled with 19 states for restitution to be paid to consumers negatively affected by the company. Through the settlement, NCO has agreed to pay $50,000.00 to each state that will be used as restitution to consumers who can show they wrongfully paid the collection agency, plus another $575,000.00 for reimbursement to the Multi-State Group for various costs. The Multi-State Group represented the 19 states during the three-year unfair debt collection investigation.

Consumers are eligible to receive money from the settlement if they have done one of the following things: paid more on a debt to NCO than the agency agreed to settle on; paid the agency for a third-party debt that wasn’t actually owed to NCO; or were charged interest that wasn’t permitted by law or the original contract. Additionally, NCO has agreed to change its collection practices to comply with state and federal debt collection laws.

The states included in the Multi-State Group are: Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Even though consumers are entitled to both state and federal protection from unfair debt collection practices abuses still occur. If you or a loved one has been the victim of such practices, contact San Bernardino unfair debt collection attorney Howard D. Silver for help. For more information, call the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver at (866) 49-LEMON.

A Los Angeles woman won a Small Claims Court judgment for $9,867.00 against American Honda Motor Co. on February 1, 2011. The women contended that the Company’s claims about the gas mileage capabilities for the Honda Civic Hybrid were misleading entitling her to damages. According to The Los Angeles Times, the woman purchased a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid after relying on advertising by the company that the vehicle could get a maximum of 50 miles per gallon of gasoline, a level the women’s car never reached.

During the lawsuit, the woman claimed that the maximum mpg that the car ever reached was 42 and that a software update that was done dropped the mileage to below 30 mpg. The Civic owner decided to file her own lawsuit after learning that a proposed settlement from a class action lawsuit would leave owners with an average of $100 plus rebate coupons for a new car.

While this is only one Small Claims Court decision and Honda has promised to appeal, there have been other recent claims against Honda for misrepresentation, including the class-action. In fact, there is a website dedicated to the matter entitled, “DontSettleWith Honda.org.”

Additionally, Honda has acknowledged that batteries for 2006 through 2008 Civic Hybrids are deteriorating faster than expected. As such, batteries eventually will not charge to full capacity, the vehicles will rely more on gasoline and gas mileage will get worse.

Consumers have the right to be told the truth about the vehicle they are buying, and when they are deceived, they have the right to restitution for their losses. If you find yourself in this position, Howard D. Silver, Los Angeles unfair business practices lawyer, can help . For more information, call us today at (866) 49-LEMON and receive a free complimentary consultation about your case.

Japan-based Mazda Motor Corporation has recalled 52,390 Tribute compact sports utility vehicles in coordination with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to the recall report, the vehicles’ master brake cylinder reservoir could leak fluid, which can drip onto and corrode the anti-lock braking system module’s wire harness and cause melting, smoking, and possibly fire, much like a recent Ford vehicle recall due to the same problem.

The affected vehicles are Mazda Tributes from the 2001 and 2002 model years. Owners can find out if their car is covered by the recall by looking at the vehicle build date inside the driver-side doorjamb. Mazda is currently in the process of informing owners about the recall and their dealers will fix the problem at no cost to consumers. Until then, Mazda urges owners to park their vehicles outdoors.

This type of defect can seriously affect the vehicles’ safety, value or use, and can lead to a serious accident. If any of the affected vehicles require multiple repair attempts to fix the problem, or are out of service for a minimum of 30 days for the problem, it may qualify as a lemon.

Southern California consumers who claim their vehicle is a lemon may be entitled to their money back or a new car. However, the process is not easy and manufacturers may be difficult to deal with. If you believe your car is a lemon, Riverside lemon law lawyer Howard D. Silver can help. Call the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver today for more information at (866) 49-LEMON.