What are the California Lemon Laws?

Answer:
In California, Lemon Laws protect consumers against new (and used, in some cases) motor vehicle non-conformity to manufacturers’ (or sellers') express warranties. California Lemon Laws provide a process for recourse against motor vehicle manufacturers or sellers, if a motor vehicle has been shown to be out of compliance with the express warranties, and if it meets certain other eligibility requirements.

California Lemon Laws are spelled out in the California Code as follows:
Civil Code Section 1790-1790.4 - (Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act) and Civil Code Section 1793.22 - (Tanner Consumer Protection Act)
California Lemon Law

Reasonable attempts (usually 3 attempts considered 'reasonable') must be made to bring into conformity any vehicle claimed to be not in conformity by the owner. 

Owners typically must file an official complaint with the vehicle manufacturer through registered U.S. Mail; owners must have already made reasonable attempts to correct alleged non-conformities; manufacturers may be allowed final attempts before any money must be refunded. 

As with most similar laws, there are time constraints regarding when claims may be filed and other important eligibility requirements as well.

California Lemon Laws provide some protection regarding used vehicles as well as new vehicles.

For more information, visit http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=civ&codebody=&hits=20
and related pages.