Which RV Defects Can a Burbank Lemon Law Lawyer Pursue Under California Law?

Both kinds, under two different rules. California’s lemon law treats a new motorhome’s chassis and drivetrain as a new motor vehicle. The living quarters fall under the general Song-Beverly rule for consumer goods, which still lets you choose reimbursement over a replacement coach. A Burbank lemon law lawyer sorts each defect into the right rule.

Gaslamp Law Group handles California lemon law claims, and the first consultation is free. Motorhome cases carry more paperwork than car cases, because two companies usually built the vehicle and each wrote its own warranty. The sections below explain the split, the deadlines, and what Burbank’s parking rules mean for a coach waiting on repairs.

If your new motorhome keeps going back to the shop, call Gaslamp Law Group at (323) 853-7848 for a free consultation. Keep both warranty booklets and your repair orders nearby when you call.

How California’s Lemon Law Splits a Motorhome in Two

Ask three RV owners whether the lemon law covers a motorhome, and you may get three answers. One says it covers anything with an engine. Another says RVs are left out completely. Neither is right, and the real answer shapes every RV claim that comes to Gaslamp Law Group’s California lemon law practice.

That answer sits in one sentence of Civil Code Section 1793.22(e)(2). It says a new motor vehicle includes the chassis, the chassis cab, and the portion of a motor home devoted to its propulsion. It then excludes any portion designed, used or maintained primarily for human habitation. Subdivision (e)(3) defines a motor home as a unit built on a self-propelled chassis, chassis cab or van for recreational or emergency occupancy.

Here is how common motorhome complaints usually sort, though a lawyer still checks each one against both warranty booklets.

• Engine, transmission and brake defects sit on the propulsion side.
• Electrical faults that stall the coach or shut down the dash usually start there too.
• Slide-out rooms, cabinetry and interior plumbing sit on the habitation side.
• The refrigerator, water heater and furnace sit on the habitation side as well.

Some parts do not sort cleanly. A generator or wiring that serves both the engine and the coach may be argued either way, and the repair orders carry that argument.

The Chassis and Drivetrain Count as a New Motor Vehicle

Everything that moves the coach down the road sits on the new motor vehicle side. Defects there get the car-style remedy in Civil Code Section 1793.2(d)(2), which lets you elect restitution and never forces you to accept a replacement. They also get the Tanner presumption, covered below. Section 1794(e) adds a civil penalty route that does not turn on willfulness, though it has its own notice conditions.

The Living Quarters Fall Under the Consumer Goods Rule

Several RV pages say the lemon law does not cover the part you live in. That reading stops one section too early. Civil Code Section 1791(a) defines consumer goods as any new product, or part of one, bought for personal, family or household use. A motorhome’s kitchen, bathroom and slide-out rooms fit that definition, and their remedy comes from Section 1793.2(d)(1).

You Choose Reimbursement Instead of a Replacement Coach

For most consumer goods, Section 1793.2(d)(1) lets the manufacturer decide between replacing the product and refunding it. The same paragraph then carves out RVs. If a travel trailer or the habitation portion of a motor home cannot be fixed after a reasonable number of attempts, the buyer may elect reimbursement. The manufacturer can never require you to accept a replacement motor home.

The Use Deduction for the Living Quarters Has No Mileage Formula

Section 1793.2(d)(1) lets the manufacturer subtract the amount directly attributable to your use before you discovered the defect. Unlike the chassis rule, it sets no mileage formula. So the date you first reported a leaking slide seal or a dead refrigerator matters a great deal. The final figure turns on facts a lawyer has to review.

Two Manufacturers and Two Warranties Behind One Motorhome

Who actually built your RV? Usually two companies did. A chassis maker such as Ford or Freightliner Custom Chassis builds the rolling platform. A coach builder such as Thor Motor Coach or Winnebago builds the living space on top. Civil Code Section 1791(j) defines a manufacturer as anyone who manufactures, assembles or produces consumer goods, so each company answers for its own warranty.

Each company hands you a separate booklet with its own term, exclusions and authorized shops. The two terms rarely match, so write down each one in months and miles. Then find the page in each booklet that names an address for written notice of a defect. Under Section 1793.22(b), the direct notice step for the two-attempt and four-attempt tests applies only if the manufacturer disclosed it in the warranty or owner’s manual.

Pull these records together before a consultation.

• Bring the purchase contract and any separate finance or service contract.
• Bring the chassis warranty booklet and the coach warranty booklet.
• Gather every repair order from every shop, including visits marked no problem found.
• Keep copies of every letter or email you sent to either manufacturer.

Watch which shop does the work. The Tanner presumption counts repairs by the manufacturer or its agents, and for the chassis that usually means a service center the chassis maker authorizes. That may not be the RV dealer that sold you the coach. Ask each service writer, in writing, which manufacturer authorized the shop to do warranty work.

How a Burbank Lemon Law Lawyer Counts Repair Attempts on an RV

The operative duty in Section 1793.2(d) asks only whether the manufacturer had a reasonable number of attempts. That is a jury question, and it moves with the facts. Our breakdown of how many repair attempts make a car a lemon covers the general standard.

Count attempts by defect and by side. A transmission that slips three times and a slide-out that jams four times are two separate problems against two separate companies. Do not let a service writer bundle them under one complaint line. Ask for a separate line for each symptom at every visit.

The Tanner Presumption Reaches Only the Propulsion Side

Civil Code Section 1793.22(b) presumes a reasonable number of attempts within 18 months of delivery or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. Because the presumption is written for a new motor vehicle, it follows the definition in subdivision (e)(2). In practice, it reaches the chassis and drivetrain but not the living quarters. Habitation defects still count under the reasonableness standard, just without the shortcut.

Two Attempts for a Safety Defect on the Grapevine

The shortest path in the statute is two repair attempts on a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. Picture a coach headed north from Burbank on the Golden State Freeway. The climb over Tejon Pass and the long descent of the Grapevine load the brakes, cooling and transmission hard. A coach that overheats or loses braking there gives you a strong safety argument, so write down where it happened.

Four Attempts or More Than 30 Days Out of Service

The other two triggers are four repairs of the same defect, or more than 30 cumulative calendar days out of service. The days do not need to be consecutive. Since the presumption tracks the propulsion side, days spent fixing only a slide-out may not count toward that total. Ask the shop to list each defect on its own line. That way, the days can be sorted later.

The 30-Day Repair Deadline Covers the Whole Coach

A separate clock protects both sides of the vehicle. Section 1793.2(b) requires warranty repairs within 30 days unless you agree in writing to more time, and delays beyond the manufacturer’s control extend it. A coach sitting six weeks for a slide-out motor can support a damages claim under Section 1794. Our piece on California’s 30-day rule for vehicle downtime explains how those days get documented.

What If Your Motorhome Is Too Big or Too Broken to Drive In?

A sedan with a bad transmission rides a flatbed to the dealer without much fuss. A 38-foot diesel pusher with the same problem needs a heavy-duty tow and a shop with a bay big enough to take it. California’s warranty statute anticipated goods that cannot easily travel, and in specific situations it shifts that burden to the manufacturer.

Two rules matter here. One decides how you return the coach for repair. The other is local to Burbank, and it decides where the coach can sit while you wait for parts.

Written Notice Can Count as Returning the Coach

Section 1793.2(c) normally requires you to deliver nonconforming goods to the manufacturer’s repair facility. It makes an exception when size and weight, method of attachment, or the nature of the defect makes delivery unreasonable. Then written notice to the manufacturer or its nearest repair facility counts as returning the goods. The manufacturer chooses whether to repair at your residence, pick the coach up, or arrange transport, and it pays the reasonable transport costs. Civil Code Section 1795.6 also pauses the warranty period from that notice until the repair is done.

Burbank’s Street Parking Limits for a Motorhome Waiting on Repairs

Under Burbank Municipal Code Section 6-1-1010.1, a large non-commercial vehicle cannot park on a public street without a city permit. The city counts any non-commercial vehicle longer than 22 feet, or taller or wider than 8 feet, as one. Most motorhomes clear the 8-foot height line on their own. So a coach the dealer sends home unrepaired cannot simply sit at the curb on your block.

The 72-Hour Permit Rule and the 96-Day Cap

Each permit runs 24 hours, and permits come in blocks of up to 72 hours. After a block, the coach must stay off city streets for at least 48 hours. The city caps street parking at 96 days per vehicle each year, and no permit allows parking within 80 feet of an intersection. Permits cost $7 per day at the parking permits office at 150 North Third Street or online.

Storage and Transport Costs While the Coach Waits

So where does a broken motorhome sit while the manufacturer orders parts? Often in a paid storage yard. Those bills can become part of the claim, but only with receipts. Manufacturers also like to blame defects on a coach sitting unused, and our post on lemon law protections for vehicles stored seasonally or long term covers that argument.

Transport Costs the Manufacturer Covers Under Section 1793.2(c)

When the size and weight exception applies, the statute puts all reasonable transport costs on the manufacturer. It also covers transport from the repair facility until the goods come back to you. Keep the tow invoice, the dispatch record and a copy of the written notice you sent.

Storage Fees as Incidental Damages Under Commercial Code Section 2715

Civil Code Section 1794(b) borrows the damage rules of the Commercial Code. Section 2715 treats expenses reasonably incurred in the care and custody of rightfully rejected goods as incidental damages. It also counts any other reasonable expense incident to the delay or other breach. A storage bill run up while the coach waited on warranty parts can fit there, depending on your contract, your dates and what a court finds reasonable.

Does AB 1755 Change the Deadline for an RV Bought in Burbank?

Plenty of RV news stories from early 2025 still describe AB 1755 as a rule for every buyer. It is not. The bill added a chapter to the Code of Civil Procedure starting at Section 871.20, with a pre-suit notice step, early mediation and a different deadline. Then SB 26, signed April 2, 2025, limited that chapter to manufacturers that affirmatively elect into it.

Under Section 871.29, a manufacturer elects by October 31 of the prior year, and the election covers five consecutive calendar years of sales. The Department of Consumer Affairs publishes the roster by December 15. Before assuming either set of rules, check the state’s list of electing manufacturers for both names on your motorhome.

Chassis Makers and Coach Builders Elect Separately

The election list names companies, not vehicles. Your chassis maker and your coach builder each made their own choice, and one may be on the list while the other is not. The data behind the state’s list showed 59 electing entries on October 6, 2026. Here is how the motorhome names broke down that day.

• Ford Motor Company and General Motors were on the list.
• Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, Mercedes-Benz USA and FCA US were on it too.
• Coach builders Thor Motor Coach, Winnebago Industries and Tiffin Motor Homes appeared.
• Newmar Corporation, Forest River and Foretravel appeared as well.

The roster shows one opt-in date for each company and does not say which sale years the election covers. Never assume your model year is inside it. Section 871.29(d) also requires the manufacturer to tell a new-vehicle buyer which procedure governs, so check your purchase folder for that notice.

Which Deadline Governs Each Half of the Claim

Section 871.20 applies to actions seeking restitution or replacement of a motor vehicle under Section 1793.2(b) or (d), Section 1793.22 or Section 1794. It does not say how it treats a claim aimed only at a motorhome’s living quarters. We are not aware of a published appellate decision that answers that question. So one motorhome can carry two different clocks, and a lawyer should map both early.

Four Years for a Manufacturer That Did Not Elect

For a company not on the list, Commercial Code Section 2725 sets four years. The clock generally starts at tender of delivery, not when the defect shows up. Section 2725(1) also lets a sales contract shorten that period to as little as one year. Civil Code Section 1790.1, though, voids any waiver of Song-Beverly rights by a buyer, so a shortened period deserves a lawyer’s look.

One Year After the Warranty Ends for an Electing Manufacturer

For an electing manufacturer and a covered sale year, Section 871.21 requires suit within one year after the express warranty expires. It also caps the window at six years after original delivery. Subdivision (c) tolls both periods while the vehicle is out of service for repair and for up to 60 days after a pre-suit notice.

What a Motorhome Buyback Can Include in California

On the propulsion side, restitution under Civil Code Section 1793.2(d)(2)(B) starts with the actual price paid or payable, including manufacturer-installed options. It adds collateral charges such as sales tax and registration fees. Incidental damages come on top, and the statute names repair, towing and rental car costs. Solar panels or a satellite dish a dealer installed after the sale sit outside the refund, so keep those invoices separate.

The manufacturer may subtract an amount for your use before the first repair visit for that problem. Section 1793.2(d)(2)(C) multiplies the price by a fraction with 120,000 as the denominator and the miles driven before that visit as the numerator. On a $150,000 motorhome, every 1,000 miles adds $1,250 to the deduction. Your own figure depends on your contract and records, and which company owes which share of a split motorhome claim is a fact question.

Section 1794(c) allows a civil penalty of up to two times actual damages for a willful violation. Section 1794(d) lets a buyer who prevails recover costs and attorney fees based on actual time spent. Neither result is automatic. Before you sign any offer, read what a manufacturer buyback offer can leave out.

Where a Burbank RV Lemon Law Case Gets Filed

A lemon law claim is a breach of warranty claim, which makes it a contract action rather than a personal injury case. Los Angeles County Superior Court Local Rule 2.3 makes Central District filing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, optional for contract actions. The case can also go where performance is required or a defendant resides.

Burbank falls within the court’s North Central District, and the Burbank Courthouse at 300 East Olive Avenue takes civil and small claims filings. Every new civil case needs the court’s LACIV 109 form, which states why the case was filed where it was. Under Code of Civil Procedure Section 85, a case seeking $35,000 or less is a limited civil case, and a motorhome buyback claim will often exceed that.

Questions Burbank RV Owners Ask About California’s Lemon Law

These short answers cover the questions that come up once an RV owner learns the coach and the chassis follow different rules. Each one ties back to a statute discussed above. Your own contracts, warranty booklets and repair orders decide how each answer applies to you.

Does the Lemon Law Cover a Travel Trailer?

Yes, under the consumer goods rule. Section 1793.2(d)(1) names travel trailers alongside the habitation portion of a motor home, so the buyer may elect reimbursement and never has to accept a replacement. A trailer has no propulsion of its own, so the Tanner presumption does not reach it.

Does the 10,000-Pound Limit Apply to a Large Class A Motorhome?

Not for a coach bought for personal use. The 10,000-pound limit in Section 1793.22(e)(2) appears only in the sentence covering vehicles bought primarily for business. Our post on work trucks bought for business use explains that separate test.

Is a Used Motorhome Covered?

In Rodriguez v. FCA US, LLC (2024) 17 Cal.5th 189, the California Supreme Court held that a used vehicle sold with the balance of its factory warranty is not a new motor vehicle. Used buyers look instead to Civil Code Section 1795.5, which puts warranty duties on the distributor or retail seller. Our page on used and certified pre-owned lemon claims explains that route.

Do I Have to Use the Manufacturer’s Arbitration Program First?

Only to rely on the Tanner presumption. Section 1793.22(c) says a buyer who gets timely written notice of a qualified third-party program must use it before asserting the presumption. You can still sue on the underlying breach, and your purchase contract may carry its own arbitration clause worth reading.

Talk to a Burbank Lemon Law Lawyer at Gaslamp Law Group About Your RV

A motorhome that keeps going back to the shop costs more than repair bills. It costs canceled trips, storage fees and street permits every time it comes home unfixed. California law gives you a remedy for both halves of the vehicle, and the deadlines can be shorter than they look.

Gaslamp Law Group handles California lemon law claims. A Burbank lemon law lawyer from the firm can sort each defect into the chassis or coach column and count the attempts and days. The firm can also check both manufacturers against the state’s AB 1755 list, which tells you which deadline governs each claim.

Call Gaslamp Law Group at (323) 853-7848 or send the details through the firm’s contact page. The first consultation is free. Bring the purchase contract, both warranty booklets and every repair order.

You can also read more about Gaslamp Law Group before you call.