My car keeps breaking down. What do I do now?

Your car keeps breaking down, and you have already been back to the dealer more than once. Maybe it is a warning light that comes and goes, a transmission that slips, or a battery that will not charge. You are tired of rearranging your week around the service department, and you are starting to wonder whether this is a lemon.

This guide does not try to answer that question for you. Whether a particular car qualifies depends on facts a lawyer has to review. What this guide does is give you a plan, step by step, so that whatever the answer turns out to be, you have protected yourself and built a clear record. It is general information about California as of October 2026, not legal advice.

Step 1: Put safety first

If the problem affects steering, brakes, acceleration, stalling, airbags, lighting or the high-voltage system of an electric vehicle, treat it as a safety problem until a technician says otherwise.

• If it happens while driving, get off the road where it is safe, turn on your hazard lights and call roadside assistance. Many manufacturers offer roadside or towing help with a new car; check the owner's manual or warranty booklet for the number.
• Do not keep driving a car you believe is unsafe just to get it to the dealer. Ask for a tow and keep the receipt.
• Check for open recalls. Enter your VIN on NHTSA's recall page. If an open recall matches your symptom, tell the dealer when you book the appointment.
• Write down what happened as soon as you are safe: the date, time, speed, weather, what the dashboard showed and what you felt or heard.

Step 2: Take it to an authorized dealer every time

For a car under the manufacturer's warranty, the repair visits that matter most are visits to a dealer or repair facility the manufacturer has authorized to do warranty work. Those dealers act for the manufacturer when they do warranty repairs. An independent shop may be cheaper or closer, but its visits generally do not give the manufacturer a chance to fix its own product.

• Use any authorized dealer for your brand. Visits at different dealers all go into your history.
• Book the visit even if the problem is intermittent and not happening right now.
• Do not wait for the next scheduled service to mention it. A problem reported at the time it happens is easier to tie to a date and mileage.

Step 3: What to say at the service desk

The service advisor writes your complaint on the repair order. That line is often the most important sentence in your file, so help the advisor get it right.

1. Describe the symptom, not your guess at the cause. Say "the car loses power and the check-engine light flashes when merging onto the freeway, after about 20 minutes of driving," not "I think it is the fuel pump."
2. Say it is the same problem as before, and give the dates of the earlier visits. Ask the advisor to note "repeat concern" or "same concern as RO number ___."
3. Show your photos or video. Ask that the repair order note that you showed them.
4. Offer to ride along on the test drive so you can point out the problem if it shows up.
5. Read the complaint line before you sign, and ask for changes if it does not match what you said.

Stay calm and specific. Service advisors handle many cars a day. A clear, consistent description over several visits does more than a heated one.

Step 4: Get it in writing before you leave

When you pick the car up, do not leave without the paperwork. California law requires the shop to give you a copy of the work order or invoice for warranty repairs at the time the work is done (Civil Code § 1793.1), and it requires repair work orders to show the date the vehicle was returned to you (Civil Code § 1795.6). Check that the order shows:

• your complaint, in words close to your own;
• the date in, the date out and the mileage;
• what the technician found, or that the problem could not be duplicated;
• any part replaced, software update, recall or bulletin number used.

If the dealer says there is nothing to write up because it found nothing, ask politely for a repair order anyway. If it still refuses, send a short email that same day with the date, mileage, problem reported, advisor's name and what you were told. Keep the reply.

Under Civil Code § 1793.2(b), warranty repairs must generally be done within 30 days unless you agree in writing to a longer time, with extra time allowed for delays beyond the manufacturer's control. If you are asked to sign something agreeing to a longer repair, read it first. You do not have to agree.

Step 5: Keep the car's history in one place

Start a simple log now, on paper or in a phone note. For each visit, write the date in and out, mileage, the problem, the dealer and the result. Keep a running total of days the car has been in the shop, for any warranty problem.

Keep the paper too: every repair order, receipts for towing, rentals and rideshares, and every letter or email. Our lemon law documents checklist lists what to gather and where to get copies of anything you lost.

Step 6: Contact the manufacturer directly

The dealer is not the manufacturer. At some point, usually after the second visit for the same problem, contact the manufacturer itself.

• Read your warranty booklet first. Some manufacturers ask owners to notify them directly, in writing, at a listed address, about problems that have not been fixed. In California that kind of direct notice can matter later, as our guide to how many repair attempts make a lemon explains.
• Write, don't just call. A short letter or email with your name, VIN, mileage, the problem and the dates of each repair visit is enough. Keep proof that you sent it.
• If you call, write down the date, the representative's name and the case number. Follow up by email summarizing the call.
• Ask for help, not a fight. It is reasonable to ask the manufacturer to send a field engineer or technical specialist to look at the car.

If the manufacturer offers a goodwill repair, an extended warranty, a trade-in "assist" or a cash payment, you do not have to answer on the spot. Do not sign a release or agreement before someone has read it. A lawyer can review any offer at no cost to you.

Step 7: Report safety problems to NHTSA

If the problem is a safety issue, you can report it through NHTSA's Report a Safety Problem page. NHTSA lists 888-327-4236 as its phone number. A report creates a dated record in your own words, and you can see what other owners of your model have reported in our recall and complaint lookup. An NHTSA report does not replace a dealer visit or written notice to the manufacturer.

Step 8: Things to avoid while this is going on

• Do not sell or trade in the car before getting advice. Getting rid of the vehicle can limit your options.
• Do not stop making your loan or lease payments. Missed payments can lead to late fees, credit damage or repossession. See car loan payments during a lemon law claim.
• Do not modify the car or have aftermarket parts installed on the system that is failing.
• Do not let the trail go cold. Report the problem every time it happens.
• Do not post angry public reviews with guesses about the cause. Stick to written facts in your log and your letters.

Step 9: When to call a lawyer

You do not need to wait until the dealer gives up. Consider a free consultation with a lemon law lawyer when any of these is true:

• the same problem has gone back to the dealer two or more times;
• the problem affects safety;
• the car has spent weeks in the shop, adding up all visits;
• the manufacturer has offered you something and asked you to sign;
• your warranty is about to expire, or has expired with the problem still unfixed;
• you bought the car used or leased it and are not sure what applies.

Deadlines apply, and in 2025 California added new procedures for manufacturers that opted in, including a filing deadline tied to the end of the warranty. Our guide to the 2025 changes under AB 1755 explains them. If you want a quick first read on the rules, try our does my car qualify tool, then talk to a lawyer about your actual paperwork.

How LaCour can help

LaCour Trial Lawyers reviews California lemon law cases statewide, in English and Spanish, and much of the work happens by phone and email. Under Civil Code § 1794(d), a buyer who prevails recovers attorney's fees and costs from the manufacturer. Send us your repair orders for a free, confidential review.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information about California and federal law and about public records as of its date. It is not legal advice, and reading it or contacting us does not create an attorney–client relationship. Allegations in lawsuits are claims, not findings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising.