(Note: Names have been omitted and some information may have been changed to protect client privacy.)

The California Lemon law provides remedies for purchasers of vehicles that repeatedly fail to meet the standards of quality and performance as provided under the manufacturer express warranty. If a vehicle is purchased “used”, the new owner will usually be protected by the lemon law for the remainder of the warranty. This was the case with a client of ours from Carson, California who bought a certified pre owned (CPO) 2008 Audi A6 from a dealership in Long Beach. Continue reading

General Motors is expanding a recent recall of certain 2003-2007 model year vehicles to correct a condition with the ignition switch that may allow the key to unintentionally move or switch to the “accessory” or “off” position, turning off the engine and most of the electrical components on the vehicle. Continue reading

You may have recently received a letter from the manufacturer of your car or truck offering you a trade-in of your vehicle for one of the manufacturer’s new vehicles. While this may at first glance look like a good deal, if you look closely you’ll see the manufacturer is probably only offering you the opportunity to trade up to a newer model. Under this trade in offer you would have to pay off the balance of your existing loan or lease, plus pay the mileage deduction allowed under the California law. Continue reading

General Motors is petitioning the NHTSA to not recall certain 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and 2014 GMC Sierra trucks for a technical hiccup that could result in the instrument panel display being temporarily interrupted.

According to a non-compliance report sent to the NHTSA last October, under certain rare circumstances, when an owner uses the steering wheel controls to browse songs from an external device plugged into one of the vehicle’s USB ports, the instrument cluster could reset. When the instrument cluster resets, the analog gauges and identifications, the shift position indicator, and the cruise control could briefly turn off. In addition, some of the instrument cluster warning lights may also illuminate briefly without a condition being present. Continue reading

Controversial supplier contract purchasing terms adopted by General Motors last year, will be changed by the automobile manufacturer after suppliers say that the terms expose them to greater warranty liability. Although the new terms and conditions applied to only new purchase contracts, supplier executives and attorneys said they were uncomfortable with elements of the new contract. The new terms and conditions extended the automaker’s rights giving GM more authority to recover warranty and safety recall costs, to acquire suppliers’ intellectual property rights, and to access their financial information. Continue reading

Aston Martin North America have filed a defect information notice with the NHTSA because of an issue related to the throttle pedal arm in certain 2008-2014 vehicles. This notice supersedes NHTSA campaign 13V-228. Any vehicle that has been repaired under the previous recall will be asked to return their automobiles to have the problem remedied again. Continue reading