RAM Lemon Law Lawyers
Your RAM has gone back to the dealer for the same fault, and the repair order still reads "could not duplicate." A RAM lemon law lawyer starts with that stack of paper.
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Civil Code section 1793.22 asks whether a warranty defect substantially impairs the truck's use, value or safety, and any one of the three is enough. If so, the law calls it a nonconformity. When RAM's dealers cannot fix it after a reasonable number of attempts, meaning a fair number of chances given how serious the defect is, the manufacturer must replace the truck or make restitution, the legal word for a buyback.
FCA US LLC issues the RAM warranty. It is on the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) roster of manufacturers that opted in to newer court procedures, with an opt-in date of April 25, 2025. That means many RAM claims run on that elected track's own calendar.
The firm, Cline APC, accepts only lemon law and warranty matters, from offices on Ivanhoe Avenue in La Jolla and Danielson Street in Poway.
When one defect keeps bringing your RAM back, call (888) 982-6915 with your newest repair order in hand.
What Does a RAM Lemon Law Lawyer Read First When a Truck Keeps Failing?
Every repair order comes first, then the sales or lease contract and the warranty information book that came with the truck. RAM's own 2026 heavy-duty warranty book lists the terms below, and your booklet for your model year controls.
| Coverage | Term | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Limited Warranty | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 2026 Ram HD warranty information |
| Powertrain, gasoline engine | 5 years or 60,000 miles | Same booklet |
| Powertrain, diesel engine | 5 years or 100,000 miles | Same booklet |
| Powertrain, 2026 model year, original owner | 10 years or 100,000 miles | Stellantis release, January 6, 2026 |
The 10-year powertrain term covers the 2026 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Chassis Cab and ProMaster, and the release excludes full battery-electric vehicles and fleet purchases. Whichever limit comes first ends each term.
Say you lease a 2025 RAM 1500 in Escondido, and one electrical fault sends it back to the dealer four times in 14 months. Civil Code section 1795.4 gives a lessee, someone who leases rather than buys, the same rights against FCA that a buyer holds.
Four Repairs, Two Repairs, or 30 Days Out of Service
Subdivision (b) of section 1793.22 creates a presumption, a rule of proof. Inside 18 months or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first, three patterns treat RAM as having had a reasonable number of repair attempts. Four or more repairs of the same nonconformity is one. Two or more repairs of a nonconformity likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the truck is driven is another. Both of those routes also need direct notice, a letter to the manufacturer itself, if the warranty materials clearly disclose that duty. The third route counts more than 30 cumulative calendar days out of service for repair of nonconformities, and it needs no notice.
RAM can rebut the presumption. After the window closes, a truck can still qualify on its whole repair record under section 1793.2, subdivision (d)(2). Separately, subdivision (b) of that section expects each warranty repair within 30 days unless you consent in writing or the delay is beyond the manufacturer's control.
Does RAM or the Dealer Owe the Buyback a Lemon Law Attorney Demands?
FCA owes it, not the dealer. Once RAM's reasonable repair chances run out, Civil Code section 1793.2, subdivision (d)(2), requires the manufacturer to promptly replace the truck or make restitution. The DCA says in its FAQ that the manufacturer, not the dealership, repurchases or replaces. You choose, and FCA cannot force a replacement on you.
| Line item | Treatment under Civil Code 1793.2(d)(2)(B) and CCP 871.27 |
|---|---|
| Price paid or payable, with transportation charges and factory options | Refunded |
| Sales or use tax, license, registration and other official fees | Refunded |
| Towing, rental and repair costs you actually paid | Refunded as incidental damages |
| Add-ons and service contracts from the selling dealer | Recoverable on an elected track, 871.27(b)(2) |
| The same products from an outside company | Not recoverable on that track, 871.27(b)(1) |
| Negative equity, an old loan balance rolled into the truck loan | Offset on that track, 871.27(c) |
| Miles driven before the first repair visit for the defect | Price times those miles over 120,000, 1793.2(d)(2)(C) |
Try your own figures in the lemon law buyback calculator.
RAMs Bought Used With Factory Coverage Left
Rodriguez v. FCA US, LLC (2024) 17 Cal.5th 189 held that leftover factory coverage does not make a used vehicle new, unless the new car warranty was issued with that sale. The court left certified pre-owned programs unaddressed. A used RAM therefore usually falls outside the new-vehicle remedy, though the point is unsettled and a claim against the selling dealer may survive.
What Does the State-Certified Arbitration Program Change for a RAM Owner?
It adds a step you can use for free. The DCA lists the California Dispute Settlement Program, or CDSP, at (800) 777-8119 as the certified program for Fiat Chrysler brands including RAM. According to the DCA, arbitration is free, decisions usually come within 40 days, and the manufacturer must perform an accepted decision within 30 days. You may reject the decision and still pursue other options.
With timely written notice of the program and a description of its operation and effect, you use it before relying on the presumption, per Civil Code section 1793.22, subdivision (c). Days spent in the program extend your deadlines. Read the DCA arbitration page before you file, because an offer made there is your choice to accept or decline.
Which Deadline Does a RAM Lemon Law Lawyer Work Toward Under FCA's Election?
It depends on when your truck was sold. For RAMs sold in 2025 or earlier that FCA's election covers, Code of Civil Procedure section 871.21 sets the clock. It requires suit within one year after the applicable express warranty ends, and never more than six years after delivery. The applicable express warranty is the written coverage that fits the specific defect, so a transmission fault under powertrain coverage can carry a later end date than an electrical fault under basic coverage.
The section 871.24 demand is required only before a suit that seeks civil penalties. The manufacturer must receive it 30 days or more before filing, its offer is due by day 30 and completion by day 60. For a RAM sold new in 2026 or later, section 871.29, subdivision (d), requires FCA to name the governing procedure at the sale. Under Civil Code section 1794, subdivision (d), a buyer who prevails recovers costs and reasonable attorney fees.
The firm also handles claims on other FCA brands, including Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler. Our blog covers RAM trucks with lemon law issues.
Can a RAM Lemon Law Lawyer Take a First Look at Your Repair Orders?
Yes, and a free consultation with a RAM lemon law lawyer at Cline APC opens with your dates. Next come the repair count, the days out of service and which procedure governs your truck. The review names the gaps along with the strengths.
Before calling, gather every service invoice, rental and towing receipt, the contract you signed and any recall or service letter FCA mailed.
Nobody can promise how a claim ends, and the choices stay yours. Send the firm your RAM repair orders online, or call (888) 982-6915 and ask for a RAM file review.
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