Santa Monica Lemon Law

Santa Monica is in Los Angeles County, so Song-Beverly lemon law cases are filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Civil unlimited cases — most lemon law actions — are handled at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 N. Hill Street in downtown LA. The West District Santa Monica Courthouse handles some civil matters, but unlimited civil filings generally go to Stanley Mosk. Venue is proper in LA County because you live there and likely purchased, leased, or had the vehicle repaired in the county. Filing is electronic; most lemon-law cases resolve without trial.

Possibly. California's Song-Beverly Act covers software-driven defects in EVs the same as mechanical defects in conventional cars — what matters is whether the nonconformity substantially impairs use, value, or safety and whether the manufacturer cannot fix it after a reasonable number of attempts. Common Santa Monica EV complaints include phantom braking, charging-port faults, infotainment crashes, HV battery thermal events, range loss, and Autopilot or FSD malfunctions. Mobile-service visits and remote OTA fix attempts count as repair attempts — document every one.

Continuous Pacific exposure accelerates corrosion of battery terminals, wiring harnesses, undercarriage fasteners, and door seam seals, producing intermittent electrical, sensor, and ADAS faults that owners bring back repeatedly under warranty. You don't have to prove ocean air caused the defect — only that the defect exists, substantially impairs use, value, or safety, and was not repaired after a reasonable number of attempts. If salt-air-driven corrosion produces recurring failures the dealer cannot fix, Song-Beverly applies just as it would for any other defect.

Yes. Cal. Civ. Code 1791(g) defines 'buyer' to include a lessee under a retail lease of consumer goods. Lease remedies generally include termination of the lease, refund of all monthly payments, capitalized cost reduction, official fees, and the manufacturer's payoff of the residual to the lessor. The use offset still applies based on miles driven before the first repair attempt. Leased commercial trucks under 10,000 lbs GVWR can qualify if the lessee has five or fewer vehicles registered in California.

Cal. Civ. Code 1793.22(b) creates a Tanner Act 'rebuttable presumption' after four attempts on the same nonconformity, two attempts on a defect likely to cause death or serious injury, or more than 30 cumulative days out of service for repair within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery. Outside the presumption you can still prove a reasonable number of attempts as a question of fact. EV cases waiting on backordered batteries, drive units, or sensors often cross the 30-day threshold quickly.

If your vehicle qualifies, the manufacturer must either buy it back at full purchase or lease price (taxes, license, registration, and finance charges included) minus a mileage use offset, or replace it with a comparable new vehicle. If the manufacturer's failure to comply was willful, Cal. Civ. Code 1794(c) allows up to two times actual damages as a civil penalty. The prevailing consumer also recovers attorneys' fees and costs under Cal. Civ. Code 1794(d), which lets most California consumers pursue lemon-law cases without paying anything out of pocket.

The general statute of limitations is four years from the date of breach (Cal. Com. Code 2725), which usually starts running when the manufacturer fails to repair within a reasonable number of attempts. AB 1755, effective 2025, added an outer-limit deadline for new claims: actions must be filed within one year after the express warranty expires and no later than six years from original delivery. If your warranty recently expired or your vehicle is several years old, contact an attorney quickly so deadlines are not missed.