Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a)
Applicability.
This section shall apply to 1990 and subsequent model
passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles, and motor vehicle
engines used in such vehicles required to be inspected under any California
statutorily authorized motor vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance
program. The warranty period shall begin on the date the vehicle is delivered
to an ultimate purchaser, or if the vehicle is first placed in service as a
"demonstrator" or "company" car prior to delivery, on the date it is first
placed in service.
(b)
General Emissions Warranty Coverage.
The manufacturer of each passenger car, light-duty truck,
and medium-duty vehicle shall warrant to the ultimate purchaser and each
subsequent purchaser that the vehicle or engine:
(1) Is designed, built, and equipped so as to
conform with all applicable regulations adopted by the Air Resources Board
pursuant to its authority in chapters 1 and 2, part 5, division 26 of the
Health and Safety Code; and
(2)
Will, for a period of three years or 50,000 miles, whichever first occurs, pass
an inspection established under section 44012 of the Health and Safety Code
("inspection").
(c)
Written Instructions.
(1)
Each vehicle or engine manufacturer shall furnish with each new vehicle or
engine, written instructions for the required maintenance and use of this
vehicle or engine by the vehicle owner (written instructions), and the written
instructions shall be consistent with this article and applicable regulations
in article 2 of this subchapter.
(2) Prior to the 2001 model year, each
vehicle or engine manufacturer shall submit the documents required by section
(c)(1) with the vehicle or engine manufacturer's preliminary application for
new vehicle or engine certification for approval by the Executive
Officer.
(3) For 2001 and
subsequent model years, each vehicle or engine manufacturer shall submit the
documents required by section (c)(1) with the Part 2 Application for
Certification pursuant to the "California 2001 through 2014 Model Criteria
Pollutant Exhaust Emission Standards and Test Procedures and 2009 through 2016
Model Greenhouse Gas Exhaust Emission Standards and Test Procedures for
Passenger Cars, Light-Duty Trucks, and Medium-Duty Vehicles," incorporated by
reference in title 13, CCR section
1961(d), the
"California 2015 through 2025 Model Year Criteria Pollutant Exhaust Emission
Standards and Test Procedures and 2017 and Subsequent Model Year Greenhouse Gas
Exhaust Emission Standards and Test Procedures for Passenger Cars, Light-Duty
Trucks, and Medium-Duty Vehicles," incorporated by reference in title 13, CCR
section 1961.2(d), or the
"California 2026 and Subsequent Model Year Criteria Pollutant Exhaust Emission
Standards and Test Procedures for Passenger Cars, Light-Duty Trucks, and Medium
Duty Vehicles," incorporated by reference in title 13, CCR section
1961.4(c)(1), as
applicable.
(4) The Executive
Officer may reject or require modification of written instructions for, among
other reasons, incompleteness or lack of clarity. Approval by the Executive
Officer of the written instructions shall be a condition of certification. The
Executive Officer shall approve or disapprove the written instructions within
90 days of the date such documents are received from the vehicle or engine
manufacturer. Any disapproval shall be accompanied by a statement of the
reasons therefore. In the event of disapproval, the engine or vehicle
manufacturer may petition the Board to review the decision of the Executive
Officer.
(d)
Proper Use and Maintenance.
(1) An emission performance warranty claim
may be denied if the vehicle or engine manufacturer demonstrates that the
vehicle or engine's failure of the inspection was directly caused by abuse,
neglect, or improper maintenance as reflected by a failure to maintain or use
the vehicle or engine in accordance with the written instructions.
(2) Except as provided in section (d)(5), a
vehicle or engine manufacturer may deny an emission performance warranty claim
on the basis of noncompliance with the written instructions only if:
(A) An owner is not able to comply with a
request by a manufacturer for evidence pursuant to section (d)(4); or
(B) Notwithstanding the evidence presented
pursuant to section (d)(4), the vehicle or engine manufacturer is able to prove
that the vehicle failed an inspection because the vehicle was abused, the
required maintenance and use was performed in a manner resulting in a component
being improperly installed or a component or related parameter being adjusted
substantially outside of the vehicle or engine manufacturer's specifications,
or maintenance was performed on a vehicle which resulted in the removing or
rendering inoperative of any component affecting the vehicle's
emissions.
(3) When
determining whether an owner has complied with the written instructions, a
vehicle or engine manufacturer may require a owner to submit evidence of
compliance only with those written instructions for which the vehicle or engine
manufacturer has an objective reason for believing:
(A) Were not performed, and;
(B) If not performed, could be the cause of
the particular vehicle's failed inspection.
(4) Evidence of compliance with a maintenance
instruction may consist of:
(A) A maintenance
log book which has been validated at the approximate time or mileage intervals
specified in the written instructions by someone who regularly engages in the
business of servicing automobiles for the relevant maintenance; or
(B) A repair order, sales receipt, or similar
evidence showing that the vehicle has been submitted for scheduled maintenance
at the approximate time or mileage intervals specified in the written
instructions to someone who regularly engages in the business of servicing
automobiles for the purpose of performing the relevant maintenance;
or
(C) A statement by the vehicle
owner that the maintenance was performed at the approximate time or mileage
interval specified in the written instructions using proper replacement
parts.
(5) In no case may
a vehicle or engine manufacturer deny an emission performance warranty claim on
the basis of:
(A) Warranty work or predelivery
service performed by any facility authorized by the vehicle or engine
manufacturer to perform such work or service; or
(B) Work performed in an emergency situation
to rectify an unsafe condition, including an unsafe driveability condition,
attributable to the vehicle or engine manufacturer, provided the vehicle owner
has taken steps to put the vehicle back in a conforming condition in a timely
manner; or
(C) Any cause
attributable to the vehicle or engine manufacturer; or
(D) The use of any fuel which is commonly
available in the geographical area in which the vehicle or engine is located,
unless the written instructions specify that the use of that fuel would
adversely affect the emission control devices and systems of the vehicle, and
there is commonly available information for the vehicle owner to identify the
proper fuel to be used.
(6) The vehicle owner may perform maintenance
or have maintenance performed more frequently than required in the written
instructions.
(7) Except as
specified in section (d)(2)(B) above, failure of the vehicle or engine owner to
ensure the performance of such scheduled maintenance or to keep maintenance
records shall not, per se, be grounds for disallowing a warranty
claim.
(e) Repair,
adjustment, or replacement of any part under the warranty provisions of this
article shall be performed at no charge to the vehicle or engine owner at a
warranty station, except where a warranted part is not available to the vehicle
or engine owner within a reasonable time (in no case more than 30 days) after
the vehicle or engine is initially presented to the warranty station for
repair. In case of such unavailability, repairs may be performed at any
available service establishment, or by the owner, using any replacement part.
The manufacturer shall reimburse the owner for his or her expenses including
diagnostic charges for such repair or replacement, not to exceed the
manufacturer's suggested retail price for all warranted parts replaced and
labor charges based on the manufacturer's recommended time allowance for the
warranty repair and the geographically appropriate hourly labor rate. A vehicle
or engine owner may reasonably be required to keep receipts and failed parts in
order to receive reimbursement due to such unavailability, provided the
manufacturer's written instructions advise the owner of this
obligation.
(f) The vehicle or
engine manufacturer shall be liable for damages to other vehicle components
proximately caused by a failure under warranty of any warranted part.
(g) Any replacement part may be used in the
performance of any maintenance or repairs. Any replacement part designated by a
vehicle or engine manufacturer may be used in warranty repairs provided without
charge to the vehicle owner. Such use shall not reduce the warranty obligations
of the vehicle or engine manufacturer, except that the vehicle or engine
manufacturer shall not be liable under this article for repair or replacement
of any replacement part which is not a warranted part (except as provided under
section (d) above).
(h) Any add-on
or modified part exempted by the Air Resources Board from the prohibitions of
Vehicle Code section 27156 may be used on a vehicle or engine. Such use, in and
of itself, shall not be grounds for disallowing a warranty claim made in
accordance with this article. The vehicle or engine manufacturer shall not be
liable under this article to warrant failures of warranted parts caused by the
use of such an add-on or modified part.
(i)
Warranty Claim
Procedures.
(1) A warranty claim may
be submitted by bringing a vehicle to any repair facility authorized by the
vehicle or engine manufacturer to service that vehicle.
(2) The manufacturer of each vehicle or
engine to which the warranty is applicable shall establish procedures as to the
manner in which a claim under the emission performance warranty is to be
processed. The procedures shall provide for a final decision and repair of a
warrantable condition by the vehicle or engine manufacturer within a reasonable
time, not to exceed 30 days from the time at which the vehicle is initially
presented for repair, or unless a delay:
(A)
is requested by the vehicle owner, or
(B) is caused by an event not attributable to
the vehicle or engine manufacturer or the warranty station.
(3) Within the time period specified in
section (i)(2), the manufacturer shall provide the owner, in writing, with an
explanation as to why the claim is being denied.
(4) Failure to notify a vehicle owner that a
warrantable condition does not exist within the required time period of section
(i)(2), for reasons other than those provided for in sections (i)(2)(A) and
(B), shall result in the vehicle or engine manufacturer being responsible for
repairing the vehicle free of charge to the vehicle owner.
(5) The vehicle or engine manufacturer shall
incur all costs associated with a determination that an emission performance
warranty claim is valid.
(j) Warranty services or repairs shall be
provided at all of a vehicle or engine manufacturer's dealerships which are
franchised to service the subject vehicles or engines.
(k) The vehicle owner shall not be charged
for diagnostic labor which leads to the determination of a warrantable
condition provided that such diagnostic work is performed at a warranty
station.
(l) Throughout the vehicle
or engine's warranty period defined in section (b), the vehicle or engine
manufacturer shall maintain a supply of warranted parts sufficient to meet the
expected demand for such parts. The lack of availability of such parts or the
incompleteness of the repairs within a reasonable time period, not to exceed 30
days from the time the vehicle or engine is initially presented to the warranty
station for repair, shall constitute an unavailability of parts for purposes of
section (e).
(m) The Executive
Officer may request and, in such case, the vehicle or engine manufacturer shall
provide, any documents which describe the vehicle or engine manufacturer's
warranty procedures or policies.
1. New
section filed 1-16-79; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 79, No.
3).
2. Amendment filed 11-26-90; operative 12-26-90 (Register 91,
No. 3).
3. Amendment of subsection (m) filed 10-28-99; operative
11-27-99 (Register 99, No. 44).
4. Amendment filed 11-9-2007;
operative 11-9-2007 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2007,
No. 45).
5. Amendment of subsection (c)(3) filed 8-7-2012; operative
8-7-2012 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2012, No.
32).
6. Amendment of subsection (c)(3) filed 11-30-2022; operative
11-30-2022 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2022,
No. 48).
Note: Authority cited: Sections 39600 and 39601, Health
and Safety Code. Reference: Sections 43106, 43204, 43205, 44004, 44010, 44011,
44012, 44014 and 44015, Health and Safety
Code.
