Hanford Lemon Law

Hanford and Kings County residents file Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act actions at the Superior Court of California, County of Kings, 1640 Kings County Drive, Hanford, CA 93230. The Civil Division handles general civil filings during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. Venue is generally proper under Code of Civil Procedure 395 where the consumer resides, where the vehicle was purchased, or where the manufacturer transacts business. Most Song-Beverly cases resolve before trial through manufacturer repurchase or replacement.

If you live in Hanford, venue is generally proper in Kings County under Code of Civil Procedure 395 even if you bought your vehicle in Visalia (Tulare County) or Fresno (Fresno County). Counsel can also file in the county of purchase or where the manufacturer has a principal place of business. Many Kings County residents prefer to file in Kings County for convenience and faster civil calendars, but the substantive Song-Beverly rights are identical statewide.

Often yes. Recurring DEF dosing faults, DPF regen failures, NOx sensor codes, CP4 fuel pump failures (Ford 6.7L Powerstroke, GM 6.6L Duramax), turbo actuator faults, and EGR cooler failures are classic Song-Beverly fact patterns on Kings County ag and dairy pickups. The Act covers diesel pickups with a GVWR up to 10,000 pounds for personal use, and Cal. Civ. Code 1795.22 extends coverage to motor homes. The Act also covers business-use vehicles for entities with five or fewer registered vehicles. Document every limp-mode event, every regen, every repair order, and every day the truck is out of service.

Yes. Hanford sees 70+ days a year above 95 F and pavement temperatures in unshaded ag and Naval Air Station Lemoore commuter lots routinely exceed 140 F. That accelerates 12V battery failures, ECM brownouts, A/C compressor clutch failures, condenser leaks, and infotainment screen delamination. Manufacturers must design vehicles for ordinary California use, including the Central Valley. A vehicle that repeatedly returns to the dealer for heat-related faults in the first 18 months or 18,000 miles falls squarely within the Tanner Act presumption.

Dense winter tule fog along CA-198, CA-43, and nearby CA-99 produces visibility below 1/8 mile and saturates radar, lidar, and camera housings with moisture and condensation. Modern ADAS systems disable forward-collision warning, lane-departure assist, adaptive cruise, and blind-spot monitoring or trigger false braking events. When a vehicle repeatedly produces these faults that the dealer cannot resolve after multiple attempts, the manufacturer has failed to conform the vehicle to warranty, which triggers Song-Beverly's repair-or-replace duty under Cal. Civ. Code 1793.2.

Often yes. California Civil Code 1795.5 extends Song-Beverly's repair-or-replace duties to used vehicles sold by a distributor or retailer with a written warranty. If a Lacey Boulevard or 12th Avenue dealer issued any express written warranty (including a 30-day powertrain warranty), the dealer becomes the 'manufacturer' for Song-Beverly purposes. Certified pre-owned vehicles still under the original factory warranty remain covered against the manufacturer directly. The implied warranty duration for a used vehicle cannot exceed three months.

Four years from the date of breach under California Commercial Code 2725, typically running from the manufacturer's failure to repair within a reasonable number of attempts (Mexia v. Rinker Boat Co.). AB 1755 (effective January 2025) added an outer-limit deadline: claims must be filed within one year of express warranty expiration and no later than six years from original delivery. Hanford residents whose 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty recently expired should consult a lemon-law attorney quickly to preserve the claim before AB 1755's outer limit cuts it off.