What AB 1755 and SB 26 Changed About California Lemon Law

For most of its history the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act worked the same way for every vehicle sold in California. That is no longer true. Two bills in eight months rewrote the procedural side of lemon law claims, and the second one made the new procedure elective for manufacturers rather than universal.

The deadline is now two deadlines

Under the AB 1755 framework, a claim must be filed within one year of the date the applicable express warranty expires, and no claim may be brought more than six years after the vehicle was originally delivered. Both limits apply. A vehicle can be inside the six-year window and still be too late if the one-year clock has run.

Notice before civil penalties

The civil penalty is what makes a California lemon law claim worth more than a refund. Under the new procedure, a buyer must give the manufacturer pre-suit notice before seeking it. Mediation is also mandatory in the opt-in framework, with a stay on discovery while it runs.

Why the manufacturer matters now

Because SB 26 made the framework opt-in, two owners with the same vehicle problem can face different requirements depending on who built the car. That is unusual, it is not obvious from reading the statute, and it is the single most common reason people misjudge their own deadline. If you are unsure which framework applies to your vehicle, treat the shorter deadline as the operative one until you know otherwise.