I've got a few questions about the California lemon law. I've owned my '05 coupe since March and since then it's gone to the dealer 4 times for an inaccurate fuel gauge. It seems that whenever I drive the car and shut it down for about 30 minutes the fuel gauge goes to empty and the fuel light comes on. This is regardless of the amount of fuel in the tank. When it first happened I filled up the tank, but I could only put in 13 gallons. It was like this for a while until I went in for my oil change. I asked the dealer to look into it and they said that they'd reset the fuel light. When I picked up my car I noticed that the problem was still there and let the service writer know about it. They ordered a new sending unit and called me in to replace it. A couple of days later, the problem came back. I immediately brought the car back to the dealer and they ordered a second sending unit. I brought the car in with 1/4 tank and they installed the new unit. The problem seemed to have been solved, but as I was driving home, I noticed that the fuel level was actually going up as I was driving. I took it back to the dealer once again, and they said that there are actually 2 sending units in the tank and that they would replace the second one. All was fine for about 2 weeks until the original problem started again. Instead of taking it to the dealer, I called Infiniti's consumer line before dropping it off for the 4th time. My car has been out of service for a total of 24 days and counting.

Are there really 2 sending units in the tank?

I read somewhere that the California lemon law can be claimed after the 4th attempt at repair or 30 days during the warranty period. Has anyone here had to claim a lemon? Do you file the claim through Infiniti or does this have to be done through court? Would I have to get assistance from an attorney? I've searched through Google and I'm still sorting through all the ads and picking up some information. Sorry for the long read.

 

I would try a different dealer. I have an '04 and haven't had any problems with the fuel gauge or issues with fueling up the car, so there's no reason your problems can't be fixed.

 

I wonder if this could be at all related to the... ...what was it... ...the fuel-vapor door TSB? Whatever the TSB fix was for the partial/hard fill fuel tank issue. Just a thought.

And as far as pursuing the Lemon Law, I'd give that a lot of consideration first. Are you otherwise happy with car? If so, I'd give them a little longer to fix the problem before claiming it a lemon, simply to avoid the hassle of the process. Look through all of the documents you received at the time of purchase. You'll find a pamphlet on the Lemon Law in there.

Of course, I would pursue a claim if the problem pursists after additional attempts at repair. You might want to contact Infiniti to explain the problem and 'innocently' inquire about any known TSBs that might fix the problem. Getting Corporate involved may help you find a remedy more quickly.

If you're unhappy with the vehicle in general, then this will likely be your opportunity to get out of it. Check that Lemon Law info pack.

 

I've mentioned the TSB, and since corporate is involved now, they have checked to see if that was the problem. Apparently, they don't think that is the problem, as they have Infiniti techs monitoring the progress.

I am definitely satisfied with my car as I have looked around and there isn't anything in this price range that even comes close or interests me. If I did claim a lemon and get my money back, I would be purchasing another G anyway.

 

Good luck with it. Hope the problem is corrected and you can avoid any hassles.

 

http://caag.state.ca.us/consumers/general/lemon.htm