Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 7, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
A "lemon" is a new car with a serious defect that keeps coming back after multiple repair attempts. Lemon laws can entitle you to a replacement vehicle or a full refund. Every state has one, but the rules vary. Here's how they work.
Most state lemon laws apply to new cars (and often leased vehicles) with a serious defect covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Some states protect used-car buyers too, but those rules are usually weaker.
A minor cosmetic flaw usually doesn't count. The defect has to substantially hurt the car's use, value, or safety, and it has to persist after a reasonable number of repair tries. A common benchmark: 3-4 attempts at the same problem, or 30+ total days in the shop.
If the car qualifies, the manufacturer typically has to offer a choice: a comparable replacement vehicle, or a full refund of the purchase price (minus a reasonable amount for the miles you drove).
Keep every repair order, receipt, and message with the dealer. Record the dates, what was fixed, how long the car sat in the shop, and whether the problem came back. This paper trail is the backbone of a lemon law claim.
Some states make you go through the manufacturer's arbitration program first; others let you head straight to court. Lemon law attorneys often work on contingency, and many states require the manufacturer to pay your legal fees if you win.
More on this topic: the Vehicles hub
This shows how many failed repair attempts for the same defect — or how many cumulative days your vehicle sits in the shop — generally trigger the legal presumption that it qualifies as a "lemon" eligible for a refund or replacement under your state's new-car lemon law. Each value is cited to the state statute or agency; a state with no sourced figure shows "Not yet sourced."
| State | Repair attempts / days out | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3 attempts / 30 days | Ala. Code § 8-20A-3 |
| Alaska | 3 attempts / 30 days | Alaska Stat. § 45.45.300 et seq. |
| Arizona | 4 attempts / 30 days | A.R.S. § 44-1264 |
| Arkansas | 3 attempts / 30 days | Ark. Code § 4-90-406 |
| California | 4 attempts / 30 days | Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22 (Song-Beverly Act) |
| Colorado | 3 attempts / 24 days | C.R.S. § 42-12-103 (amended SB24-192) |
| Connecticut | 4 attempts / 30 days | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-179 |
| Delaware | 4 attempts / 30 days | 6 Del. C. § 5003 |
| District of Columbia | 4 attempts / 30 days | D.C. Code § 50-503 |
| Florida | 3 attempts / 30 days | Fla. Stat. § 681.104 |
| Georgia | 3 attempts / 30 days | O.C.G.A. § 10-1-784 |
| Hawaii | 3 attempts / 30 days | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 481I-3 |
| Idaho | 4 attempts / 30 days | Idaho Code § 48-902 |
| Illinois | 4 attempts / 30 days | 815 ILCS 380/3 |
| Indiana | 4 attempts / 30 days | Ind. Code § 24-5-13-15 |
| Iowa | 3 attempts / 30 days | Iowa Code § 322G.4 |
| Kansas | 4 attempts / 30 days | Kan. Stat. § 50-645 |
| Kentucky | 4 attempts / 30 days | KRS § 367.842 |
| Louisiana | 4 attempts / 45 days | La. R.S. § 51:1944 |
| Maine | 3 attempts / 15 days | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 10 § 1163 |
| Maryland | 4 attempts / 30 days | Md. Code Com. Law § 14-1502 |
| Massachusetts | 3 attempts / 15 days | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90 § 7N½ |
| Michigan | 4 attempts / 30 days | MCL § 257.1402 |
| Minnesota | 4 attempts / 30 days | Minn. Stat. § 325F.665 |
| Mississippi | 3 attempts / 15 days | Miss. Code § 63-17-159 |
| Missouri | 4 attempts / 30 days | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.567 |
| Montana | 4 attempts / 30 days | Mont. Code § 61-4-501 et seq. |
| Nebraska | 4 attempts / 40 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2704 |
| Nevada | 4 attempts / 30 days | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 597.630 |
| New Hampshire | 3 attempts / 30 days | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 357-D:3 |
| New Jersey | 3 attempts / 20 days | N.J.S.A. § 56:12-33 |
| New Mexico | 4 attempts / 30 days | N.M. Stat. § 57-16A-4 |
| New York | 4 attempts / 30 days | N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 198-a |
| North Carolina | 4 attempts / 20 days | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-351.5 |
| North Dakota | 4 attempts / 30 days | N.D.C.C. § 51-07-18 |
| Ohio | 3 attempts / 30 days | Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.73 |
| Oklahoma | 4 attempts / 30 days | 15 Okla. Stat. § 901 |
| Oregon | 4 attempts / 30 days | Or. Rev. Stat. § 646A.404 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 attempts / 30 days | 73 P.S. § 1956 |
| Rhode Island | 4 attempts / 30 days | R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5.2-5 |
| South Carolina | 3 attempts / 30 days | S.C. Code § 56-28-40 |
| South Dakota | 4 attempts / 30 days | S.D.C.L. § 32-6D-3 |
| Tennessee | 3 attempts / 30 days | Tenn. Code § 55-24-201 |
| Texas | 4 attempts / 30 days | Tex. Occ. Code § 2301.605 |
| Utah | 4 attempts / 30 days | Utah Code § 13-20-5 |
| Vermont | 3 attempts / 30 days | 9 V.S.A. § 4172 |
| Virginia | 3 attempts / 30 days | Va. Code § 59.1-207.13 |
| Washington | 4 attempts / 30 days | RCW § 19.118.041 |
| West Virginia | 3 attempts / 30 days | W. Va. Code § 46A-6A-5 |
| Wisconsin | 4 attempts / 30 days | Wis. Stat. § 218.0171 |
| Wyoming | 4 attempts / 30 days | Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101 |
General information, not legal advice. Rules change and exceptions apply — confirm the current rule with the cited source for your state.
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