Free Consumer Guides
Plain-language answers to common questions about lemon law (California and Arizona), car buyer rights, and bank disputes, with links to the laws behind them.
Lemon Law
When a car keeps going back to the shop for the same problem. Guides for California and Arizona.
Does California's Lemon Law Cover Used Cars?
Sometimes. Since the California Supreme Court's 2024 decision in Rodriguez v. FCA US, the lemon law's buyback-or-replace remedy no longer covers a used car just because part of the original manufacturer's warranty is left. A used car can still be protected if the dealer gave you its own written warranty, and other California laws may apply.
Read the guideLemon LawHow Many Repair Attempts Before a Car Is a Lemon in California?
California law requires a "reasonable number" of repair attempts. The Tanner Act presumes that number has been reached if, within 18 months or 18,000 miles, a defect likely to cause death or serious injury was repaired 2 or more times, the same defect was repaired 4 or more times, or the car spent more than 30 days in the shop for repairs.
Read the guideLemon LawHow a California Lemon Law Buyback Works
In a lemon law buyback, the manufacturer refunds what you paid for the car (including taxes and fees, and paying off the loan), minus a mileage offset for the miles you drove before the first repair for the problem. You return the car. The manufacturer also pays incidental costs, and if you win in court, your attorney's fees.
Read the guideLemon LawWhat Qualifies as a Lemon in California?
Under California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, a vehicle is a lemon if it has a defect covered by the manufacturer's warranty that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer or its dealers can't fix it after a reasonable number of attempts.
Read the guideLemon Law · ArizonaArizona Lemon Law: How It Works for New Cars
Arizona's lemon law covers new vehicles with a warranty defect that substantially impairs their use and value. If the manufacturer can't fix it after a reasonable number of attempts, it must replace the vehicle or refund the purchase price, minus an allowance for your use. The law presumes a reasonable number of attempts after 4 repairs for the same problem or 30 days in the shop within the warranty term or 2 years/24,000 miles, but only if you notified the manufacturer in writing.
Read the guideLemon Law · ArizonaArizona's Used Car Lemon Law: The 15-Day / 500-Mile Warranty
Yes, Arizona has a used car lemon law. When you buy from a used car dealer, the car must be safe and substantially free of defects that significantly limit its use for 15 days or 500 miles after delivery, whichever comes first. If it isn't, the dealer gets a chance to repair it, and you pay at most $25 for each of the first two repairs.
Read the guideLemon LawDoes California's Lemon Law Cover RVs and Motorhomes?
Partly. California's lemon law treats the chassis, chassis cab, and drivetrain of a new motorhome as a "new motor vehicle," so the buyback-or-replace rules apply to defects there. The living quarters aren't part of that definition, but they're still consumer goods under the Song-Beverly Act, so the warranty must be honored and repeated failures can still lead to replacement or reimbursement.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer Fraud
Financing tricks, hidden damage, mileage rollbacks, and your right to cancel.
Yo-Yo Financing in California: The Dealer Called You Back. Now What?
Yo-yo financing (also called spot delivery) is when a dealer lets you drive off before your financing is final, then calls you back days later saying the deal fell through and pressures you into a worse contract. You don't have to sign a new contract. If the dealer cancels the deal, you're generally entitled to get your down payment and trade-in back when you return the car.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudCalifornia's New 3-Day Right to Cancel a Used Car Purchase (CARS Act)
Yes, for many used cars. Starting October 1, 2026, the CARS Act requires California dealers to give buyers and lessees of used vehicles priced at $50,000 or less a three-day right to cancel. You can't have driven it more than 400 miles, and the dealer can charge a capped restocking fee. The dealer must refund you within 48 hours.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudOdometer Fraud: How to Spot It and What to Do
Odometer fraud is when a vehicle's mileage is rolled back or misreported to make it seem worth more. Under the federal Odometer Act, a person who tampers with or misstates mileage with intent to defraud can be liable for three times your actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees. You generally have two years to sue.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudThe Dealer Didn't Disclose Accident Damage. What Are Your Rights?
If a California dealer told you a car had no accidents, or hid damage it knew about, that can be a violation of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and fraud by concealment. Remedies can include canceling the deal, damages, and attorney's fees paid by the dealer if you win.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudThe Dealer Didn't Tell You the Car Had a Salvage Title
California dealers must pull a federal NMVTIS title history report before offering a used car for sale. If it shows the car was salvaged, junked, or has a title brand, the dealer must post a red warning on the car and give you the report on request. If a dealer hid a salvage or branded title, you may be able to cancel the deal or recover damages.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudYour Car Was Repossessed in California. What Are Your Rights?
After repossessing a car, a California lender must send a Notice of Intent to sell at least 15 days before selling it, within 60 days of the repossession. That notice must explain your right to redeem the car, and usually to reinstate the contract by catching up. If the notice is missing or defective, the lender generally can't collect a deficiency balance from you.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudDeferred Down Payments ("Pick Payments") on California Car Loans
California lets a dealer defer part of your down payment, sometimes called a "pick payment," but only until the due date of your second regular installment, without a finance charge, and only if the contract shows the deferred amount and it appears in the payment schedule.
Read the guideCar Buyer Rights & Dealer FraudWhat Is a Salvage Title? What It Means When You Buy a Used Car
A salvage title means the car was once damaged badly enough (by a crash, flood, fire, or theft) that an insurance company or owner decided it wasn't worth repairing. A salvage car can be rebuilt, inspected, and registered again, but the title stays branded for good, and the car is usually worth much less and can be harder to insure and finance.
Read the guideBank Disputes & Unauthorized Transfers
Money taken from your bank or payment app without your permission. Case reviews for California and New York.
Scammed on Zelle? When Your Bank Has to Give Your Money Back
If someone got into your bank account or Zelle and sent the money without your permission, federal law generally requires your bank to investigate and refund you, as long as you report it on time. If you sent the money yourself because a scammer tricked you, the bank usually doesn't have to refund it, but report it right away anyway: some banks reimburse certain impostor scams.
Read the guideBank Disputes & Unauthorized TransfersScammed on Cash App? How to Try to Get Your Money Back
If someone got into your Cash App account or used your Cash Card without your permission, federal law generally requires the app to investigate and refund unauthorized transfers you report on time, and your bank may also have to if your linked bank account or debit card was charged. If you sent the money yourself to a scammer, it's usually treated as authorized, but report it to Cash App and your bank right away.
Read the guideBank Disputes & Unauthorized TransfersScammed on Venmo? Your Options for Getting Your Money Back
If someone got into your Venmo account and sent money without your permission, federal law generally requires an investigation and a refund of unauthorized transfers you report on time. If you paid a seller for something that never arrived, Venmo's purchase protection may help when the payment was marked as a purchase. Personal payments you sent yourself to a scammer usually aren't refundable under federal law.
Read the guideNot sure where to start?
If your new car keeps going back to the shop, the lemon law checker walks you through the questions California law asks.
Is My Car a Lemon?