# California — Vehicle Lemon Law Eligibility Thresholds by State

For California, time limit is 18 months; mileage limit is 18,000 miles; repair attempts is four or more times; out of service days is more than 30 calendar days; statute citation is Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.

- **state:** California
- **time limit:** 18 months _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **mileage limit:** 18,000 miles _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **repair attempts:** four or more times _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **out of service days:** more than 30 calendar days _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **statute citation:** Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> (b) It shall be presumed that a reasonable number of attempts have been made to conform a new motor vehicle to the applicable express warranties if, within 18 months from delivery to the buyer or 18,000 miles on the odometer of the vehicle, whichever occurs first, one or more of the following occurs: (1) The same nonconformity results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven and the nonconformity has been subject to repair two or more times by the manufacturer or its agents, and the buyer or lessee has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the nonconformity. (2) The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents and the buyer has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the nonconformity. (3) The vehicle is out of service by reason of repair of nonconformities by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 calendar days since delivery of the vehicle to the buyer.

## Source

- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1793.22.

Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-08-31.
Part of [Vehicle Lemon Law Eligibility Thresholds by State](https://referencesource.org/vehicle-lemon-law-thresholds-by-state/).