Start with the records. Repair orders, warranty documents, mileage, and days out of service are more useful than general assumptions about whether a vehicle qualifies.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) like lane centering, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking are now standard on many vehicles. When these features glitch—phantom braking on the freeway, steering that “ping-pongs” between lane lines, or sensors that constantly fail—the experience can be frustrating and unsafe. If your vehicle’s driver assistance issues keep returning despite repeated visits to the dealership, California’s lemon law might offer relief. Below, ZapLemon explains how the law treats ADAS problems and what you can do to document your claim.
How California’s lemon law applies to ADAS
California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (often called the “lemon law”) protects consumers when a manufacturer cannot repair a warranty-covered defect after a reasonable number of attempts. The law covers both new and many used vehicles sold with a manufacturer’s warranty. It applies to problems that substantially impair the vehicle’s use, value, or safety—which can include ADAS issues such as phantom braking, lane-keep malfunctions, false collision warnings, or driver-assist features that randomly deactivate.
“Reasonable number of repair attempts” depends on the facts, but California’s “lemon law presumption” offers guidance for the first 18 months or 18,000 miles: two or more attempts for a defect that could cause serious injury or death; four or more attempts for other defects; or the vehicle being out of service for 30 or more cumulative days. With ADAS, repairs can be both software (over-the-air updates, reprogramming) and hardware (sensor replacement, camera alignment), and both count as repair attempts when performed by an authorized dealer under warranty. If the manufacturer can’t fix the issue after those attempts, you may be entitled to a repurchase or replacement, subject to legal offsets and documentation.
Because ADAS defects can be intermittent, it’s common for test drives to “no trouble found,” especially if conditions differ from when the issue occurs. That does not automatically defeat a claim. The key is consistent reporting and giving the manufacturer authorized dealer multiple opportunities to diagnose and repair. If you’ve had repeated repairs for problems like unexpected braking, loss of steering assist, or malfunctioning blind-spot monitoring, it may be time to speak with a lemon law lawyer to evaluate your situation. This information is general and not legal advice—an attorney can assess how the law applies to your facts.
Steps to document ADAS defects for lemon claims
Start with a simple log. Each time the ADAS misbehaves, note the date, time, speed, weather, road type, and what the system was doing (for example, “adaptive cruise set to 65 mph, sunny, light traffic—vehicle braked hard for no reason”). Record any dashboard messages or chimes and, when safe, take photos or short videos showing alerts or warning lights. If your vehicle or companion app shows software versions or sensor status, capture screenshots before and after updates.
At the dealership, describe the problem in plain terms and ask that your exact complaint be written on the repair order. Request copies of every repair order and final invoice, even for no-fault-found visits, and keep them together with your log. For ADAS work, ask the service advisor to include details like alignment/aiming reports for cameras and radar, calibration results, replaced parts numbers, and software or firmware versions installed. If the dealer test drives your car, request that the mileage in/out be recorded and that any successful test reproduction be noted.
Preserve other helpful evidence. Track over-the-air updates with dates and version numbers, save recall and Technical Service Bulletin notes, and avoid clearing error codes before service visits. If the issue recurs shortly after a “fix,” return promptly so the record shows a pattern. Consider filing a safety complaint with NHTSA if the defect affects safety. Put your concerns in writing to the manufacturer when problems persist. Finally, consult a lemon law attorney for an evaluation of your documentation and options; only a consultation can provide legal advice tailored to your situation.
This post is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney–client relationship. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Attorney advertising.
If you believe your vehicle’s driver assistance features may be defective under warranty and the problems keep returning, contact ZapLemon for a free, no-obligation evaluation. We can review your repair history, answer questions about the California lemon law process, and discuss next steps. Reach out at www.zaplemon.com or call our team to schedule a consultation.
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Attorney advertising. General information is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. No result is promised or guaranteed.