California Lemon Law Civil Action Arbitration

The California Lemon Law Civil Action Arbitration Program is a dispute resolution program providing auto manufacturers and California vehicle owners with neutral, binding arbitration services with respect to a prelitigation dispute regarding attorneys’ fees and costs as required by Section 871.24(f) of the California Code of Civil Procedure, Actions for Restitution for or Replacement of Certain Motor Vehicles.
Start a Claim

If you are a California consumer trying to resolve a lemon law or vehicle warranty concern and are not currently involved in litigation, please file your claim with BBB AUTO LINE, a free, out-of-court lemon law and dispute resolution program.  

The Process

This arbitration program is specifically designed to resolve pre-litigation disputes over attorneys’ fees and costs in lemon law cases where litigation has already been initiated. 

You should file a request through this program if:

  • You have initiated a civil action under California’s lemon law.
  • The manufacturer has offered a settlement that complies with Section 1793.2(d)(2) of the California Civil Code; and
  • The only remaining issue is a dispute over attorneys’ fees and costs, which is subject to binding arbitration.


Once you submit your arbitration request, a Dispute Resolution Specialist will review your request for eligibility and inform you if a filing fee is required. Once your claim is validated, both parties will be asked to sign an Agreement to Arbitrate. The arbitration request will be officially opened once the Agreement to Arbitrate with signature is returned by both parties. With questions, contact CivilActionArbitration@bbbnp.org.

Key information to have ready includes:

  • The make, model, and year of the vehicle
  • The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the vehicle
  • Names of the titled owner(s) of the vehicle
  • Point of contact information for the attorney representing the manufacturer and the consumer
  • A description of the attorneys’ fees and costs that are in dispute

 

We will notify you when all required information has been received and will identify any additional information needed to officially start your arbitration request.

Arbitration

After the arbitration request has been opened, both parties will be prompted to submit all supporting documents related to their attorneys’ fees and costs dispute to be arbitrated. Once agreements are signed, both parties will submit supporting documents through the online portal. BBB National Programs will coordinate availability and schedule the arbitration session.


What is the lemon law?

If your vehicle is under warranty, lemon laws require your vehicle manufacturer to repair your vehicle and, if they cannot do so after a reasonable number of attempts, they must either replace or refund your vehicle. There is a federal lemon law, known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (“Mag-Moss”), as well as state lemon laws to protect consumers from getting stuck with “lemons.”