Newsom Signs Bill to Allow Carmakers to Opt Out of Changes to ‘Lemon Law’

The state’s lemon law protects consumers who purchase defective cars.

People try out the interior of a 2015 Lincoln MKC on display at the LA Auto Show's press and trade day in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2014. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on April 2 that allows carmakers to choose whether to participate in recent changes made to a state law that protects consumers who purchase defective cars.

Senate Bill 26 amends last year’s Assembly Bill 1755, which added procedural reforms to the state’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act—often called the state’s “lemon law.”