Lemon Law
by State.

Most states require 3–4 failed repair attempts for the same defect within the coverage window. States with a 3-attempt threshold include California, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. States requiring 4 include New York, Texas, Michigan, and Washington. An alternative trigger exists in every state: if your vehicle is out of service for 30 cumulative days (15 days in Maine, Massachusetts, and Mississippi), you may qualify regardless of repair attempt count. Use the Eligibility Checker above to get your state's exact thresholds.

In most states, no — lemon laws cover only new vehicles. However, six states extend partial protection to used vehicles: California (CPO only), Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Even if your state doesn't cover used cars, you may have federal protection under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which applies to any product sold with a written warranty — including used vehicles under their remaining manufacturer's warranty.

A successful buyback refunds your full purchase price minus a mileage deduction for miles driven before the defect first appeared. The formula: (miles before first complaint ÷ 100,000) × purchase price — so the earlier you report the defect, the smaller your deduction. You also recover out-of-pocket repair costs, rental car expenses, and incidental costs. Your loan is paid off as part of the refund. In California and Texas, courts can award 2–3× actual damages if the manufacturer acted in bad faith.

Most states exclude motorcycles from their lemon law statutes. States that do cover motorcycles include California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington. If your state excludes bikes, you still have federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act rights — any motorcycle sold with a written warranty is covered federally. Document every dealer visit with a written repair order, even if the dealer says they "couldn't reproduce" the problem.

No — in all 50 states, if you win your lemon law claim, the manufacturer pays your attorney fees. This is why most lemon law attorneys work on contingency, charging you nothing upfront. You pay nothing out of pocket for legal representation. Never sign a settlement that doesn't include attorney fees — that's a red flag. Most reputable lemon law attorneys offer free initial consultations.

The coverage period is a time and mileage window — typically 12–24 months and 12,000–24,000 miles from the original purchase date. Both the time and mileage limits must be satisfied; you need to be inside both windows. If your coverage period has expired, you may still have options: the federal Magnuson-Moss Act doesn't have the same hard cutoffs, and some states allow claims based on when the defect was first reported rather than when repairs occurred.

Every state gives you the choice. A refund returns your full purchase price (minus the mileage deduction), pays off your loan, and gets you completely out of the vehicle — most consumers choose this. A replacement gives you a comparable new vehicle from the manufacturer. Replacements come with a fresh warranty but you don't get to pick the exact configuration. About 80% of successful claimants choose the refund. Either way, incidental costs and attorney fees are recoverable.

Yes. A "cannot duplicate complaint" notation on a repair order still counts as a repair attempt — the manufacturer had their opportunity to fix the vehicle and didn't. Courts have consistently held this position. Always request a written repair order for every visit, even when the dealer finds nothing wrong. Get several "cannot duplicate" repair orders on record; combined with your own video documentation of the defect, this is strong evidence for a lemon law claim.