Many vehicle owners don't know they can recover significantly more than the vehicle's value. California's Song-Beverly Act is generous in the available remedies.
The Full Refund
If you choose refund rather than replacement, you can recover: the original purchase price (or lease payments made), tax and registration fees, financing costs (interest paid), defect-related repair costs you paid out of pocket, rental vehicle costs incurred during repairs, and defect-related towing costs. From this total, a "mileage use offset" is deducted, a formula that reduces the refund for miles driven before the first defect report.
"Civil Penalty" Damages
If you can demonstrate the manufacturer acted in "bad faith", knew the vehicle was a lemon but deliberately avoided or delayed resolution, California allows additional civil damages of up to double the compensatory damage value. This is a powerful tool when manufacturers "play the waiting game" with consumers.
Attorney Fees: Paid by the Manufacturer
Perhaps the most important aspect of Song-Beverly: if you win your lemon law case, the manufacturer must pay your attorney's fees. This means you can hire a lemon law attorney at no upfront cost, the attorney only charges if they win, and the manufacturer is the one who pays.