Ontario Lemon Law

Lemon law cases brought by Ontario residents are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. Civil unlimited cases (over $35,000) for the west end of the county, including Ontario, are typically venued at the Rancho Cucamonga District courthouse at 8303 N. Haven Avenue. Song-Beverly suits against manufacturers may also be filed in any county where the manufacturer does business, which gives Ontario consumers the option to file in Los Angeles or Orange County if that is more convenient for their attorney. Your lawyer will choose venue based on judge assignments, distance, and where the dealership and manufacturer can be served.

It can. Song-Beverly requires the manufacturer to repair any nonconformity that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle. A non-functional A/C system in a region where summer temperatures regularly exceed 100F has been treated by California courts as substantial impairment, particularly for vehicles used to transport children or by drivers with medical sensitivities. Document every repair visit with the dealer-printed repair order, photograph any service-bay diagnostic readings, and keep a log of dates the A/C failed. Four documented attempts on the same defect within 18 months / 18,000 miles triggers the Tanner Act presumption.

No. Under Cal. Civ. Code 1793.2, your right of refund or replacement runs against the manufacturer, not the selling dealer. It does not matter whether you purchased at the Ontario Auto Center, a Riverside lot, or out of state, so long as the vehicle was sold or leased with a written manufacturer's express warranty. The selling dealer can be relevant if you also have a fraud, CLRA, or Auto Sales Finance Act claim, but the core Song-Beverly repair-or-replace obligation belongs to the manufacturer (Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, Tesla, etc.).

California's Song-Beverly statute of limitations is four years from the date of breach under Cal. Com. Code 2725, and the breach typically occurs when the manufacturer fails to repair the defect within a reasonable number of attempts — not on the date you bought the car. AB 1755, effective 2025, added an outer-limit deadline: a Song-Beverly action must be filed within one year of express warranty expiration and no later than six years from original delivery. If your warranty has recently expired, contact a lemon-law attorney immediately.

Yes. Cal. Civ. Code 1791(g) defines 'buyer' to include a lessee, and the Tanner Act remedies apply to leases of new motor vehicles. A successful lease lemon claim typically results in lease termination, refund of all monthly payments and the capitalized cost reduction, payment of official fees, and the manufacturer paying the residual value to the leasing bank. The use-offset formula in Cal. Civ. Code 1793.2(d)(2)(C) still applies based on miles driven before the first repair attempt for the nonconformity.

Only if the manufacturer of your vehicle has a qualified third-party dispute resolution program that meets Cal. Civ. Code 1793.22 and FTC Rule 703, and only if you wish to invoke the Tanner Act presumption. Most manufacturers no longer participate in BBB AUTO LINE. Without a qualified program, you can sue under Song-Beverly directly without any pre-suit arbitration. Even when a qualified program exists, using it is a prerequisite to the presumption — not to filing suit.

Cal. Civ. Code 1794(d) requires the manufacturer to pay the prevailing consumer's attorneys' fees, costs, and expenses 'reasonably incurred' in connection with the case. Most California lemon-law firms, including those serving Ontario, therefore handle Song-Beverly cases on a contingency basis with no out-of-pocket cost to the client. Read your retainer carefully to confirm there is no hourly back-stop and that any cost advances are recovered only from the manufacturer.