(a) Within 30 days of the effective date of the act adding this section, a manufacturer may elect to be governed by this chapter for all actions described in subdivision (a) of Section 871.20 with respect to all of its motor vehicles sold in the year 2025 and in all prior years by providing written notice of that election to the Arbitration Certification Program within the Department of Consumer Affairs.
§ 871.30.Participation; Manufacturer List; Applicability
Title 10. Actions In Particular Cases · Chapter 12. Actions for Restitution for or Replacement of Certain Motor Vehicles · Enacted 2025 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 871.30 let a manufacturer elect, within thirty days after this chapter took effect, to be governed by it for actions involving vehicles sold in 2025 and earlier years, required the Department of Consumer Affairs to publish that list within sixty days, and left this chapter inapplicable to those older vehicles absent that election.
Full Text of § 871.30
(b) Within 60 days of the effective date of the act adding this section, the Arbitration Certification Program within the Department of Consumer Affairs shall publish to its website the list of all manufacturers that have elected under subdivision (a) to proceed under this chapter for actions related to motor vehicles sold in the year 2025 and in all prior years.
(c) Unless a manufacturer has made the election described in subdivision (a), Sections 871.20 to 871.28, inclusive, shall not apply to an action described in subdivision (a) of Section 871.20, including actions already filed between January 1, 2025 and the effective date of the act adding this section, with respect to all of its vehicles sold new in the year 2025 and in all prior years.
Plain-English Summary
Because Chapter 12 was new law, it needed a transition rule for vehicles already on the road when it took effect. Section 871.30 gave manufacturers a one-time, 30-day window from the effective date of the act adding this section to elect coverage under this chapter for actions involving all of their vehicles sold in 2025 and every prior year.
The Arbitration Certification Program within the Department of Consumer Affairs had to publish, within 60 days of that same effective date, the list of manufacturers that made this look-back election. And absent an election under subdivision (a), this chapter's sections don't apply to actions covered by § 871.20(a) involving a manufacturer's vehicles sold new in 2025 or earlier -- including actions already filed between January 1, 2025 and the effective date of the act adding this section.
Practically, this section is the piece that determines whether Chapter 12's discovery, mediation, and offset rules reach an older vehicle at all: without the manufacturer's affirmative, time-limited election here, those older claims fall back to the standard Song-Beverly procedures instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chapter 12 automatically cover vehicles sold before 2025?
No. It only covers them if the manufacturer made the one-time election described in § 871.30(a) within 30 days after the act adding this section took effect.
What happened to lemon law actions already filed for 2025-model vehicles when this section took effect?
They remained subject to this chapter only if the manufacturer made the lookback election under subdivision (a); otherwise this chapter didn't apply to them.
Where can I find out which manufacturers made this lookback election?
The Arbitration Certification Program within the Department of Consumer Affairs published the list within 60 days after the act adding this section took effect.
Amendment History
Added by Stats 2025 ch 1 (SB 26),s 5, eff. 4/2/2025.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: lemon law lookback election californiachapter 12 applicability older vehicles