If a vehicle keeps going back to the shop for the same defect, your state's lemon law may give you a remedy. Tell us whether it's new or used and how many repair attempts or days out of service you've had, and we'll explain the common presumption framework and what your state's lemon law covers. General information, not a determination about your vehicle.
Most state lemon laws create a presumption that a vehicle is a lemon after a set number of repair attempts for the same defect — often around three or four — or after a cumulative number of days out of service, frequently about thirty, while the vehicle is still under warranty and within a time or mileage window. Every state covers new vehicles; many exclude used cars, or cover them only under a separate, narrower rule. The exact thresholds are set by each state.
Even where a state lemon law doesn't apply — for example, to many used cars — the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can give a buyer recourse when a product sold with a written warranty isn't repaired after a reasonable number of attempts. It's the reason a vehicle still under its manufacturer warranty may have options even outside the state lemon-law framework. This tool explains the general framework and links your state's official consumer resources.
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.
Disclaimer: NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice, and is not a law firm. Using a tool does not create an attorney–client relationship. Laws change and vary by situation — verify anything important with the official source or a licensed attorney in your state.