Perris Lemon Law

Perris is in Riverside County. Civil unlimited lemon law cases — the typical posture for Song-Beverly actions because damages plus the up-to-2x civil penalty usually exceed $35,000 — are filed in the Riverside County Superior Court, with civil unlimited matters commonly assigned to the Riverside Historic Courthouse at 4050 Main Street in Riverside. Manufacturers can also be sued in other California counties where they regularly do business, so plaintiffs sometimes file in San Bernardino, Orange, or Los Angeles depending on the defendant and case-management considerations.

Yes. A/C compressor failures, condenser leaks, persistent refrigerant leaks, and warm-air complaints are all 'nonconformities' under Song-Beverly if they substantially impair use, value, or safety. In Perris's 105-plus-degree summers, A/C failures are a serious safety issue for children, elderly passengers, and long commutes. If the dealer has had a reasonable number of attempts to fix the issue and the defect persists or recurs after the same repair, you likely have a Song-Beverly claim against the manufacturer. Document every visit with a written repair order.

Yes. Diesel exhaust fluid system failures, DPF regeneration problems, EGR cooler defects, and emissions-related limp-mode events are all 'nonconformities' that substantially impair use, value, or safety. Many Inland Empire owners drive diesel pickups for work and tow loads in extreme heat that exposes these defects quickly. Many heavy-duty pickup emissions issues also trigger NHTSA recalls or manufacturer service bulletins. If you have multiple repair orders for the same emissions defect and the truck continues to fail, you likely have a Song-Beverly claim.

Yes, in many cases. Song-Beverly covers vehicles used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, and also extends to vehicles purchased for business use by entities or individuals with five or fewer vehicles registered in California, provided the gross weight is under 10,000 pounds. That means many small contractors, tradespeople, and gig workers in Perris driving F-150s, Silverados, and Rams qualify. Heavier-duty trucks above 10,000 GVWR or fleets above five vehicles fall outside Song-Beverly but may still have Magnuson-Moss or contract-based claims.

Cal. Civ. Code 1795.5 extends Song-Beverly's repair-or-replace obligations to used vehicles sold by a distributor or retailer with their own written warranty. The 'manufacturer' for these purposes becomes the dealer or distributor who issued the warranty. The implied warranty for used vehicles cannot exceed three months. Used vehicles still under the original manufacturer's express warranty are also covered against the manufacturer. Bring your purchase contract and warranty paperwork to a consultation so coverage can be confirmed.

Cal. Civ. Code 1793.22(b) creates a rebuttable presumption of a reasonable number of attempts if, within 18 months from delivery or 18,000 miles (whichever is first), the same nonconformity has been subject to four or more repair attempts, two or more attempts for a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, or the vehicle has been out of service for cumulative 30-plus days for warranty repair. Outside those numerical triggers, you can still prove 'reasonable attempts' as a question of fact under Song-Beverly directly based on the safety risk and history.

You can use any authorized franchised dealer for the manufacturer. Repair attempts at dealers in Moreno Valley, Riverside, Temecula, Hemet, or anywhere else in California all count toward the repair-attempt totals and the 30-day out-of-service threshold. You do not need to return to the selling dealer. Save every repair order from every location, including ones that say 'no problem found' or 'operating as designed,' because those still count as repair attempts under Song-Beverly.