What “Lemon law” means
Every state has some form of lemon law. Many follow a similar pattern: a defect that substantially impairs use, value or safety; reported within a set period (often the first one or two years or a mileage limit); and not fixed after a number of repair attempts (commonly three or four, fewer for serious safety defects) or the car out of service for a cumulative period such as 30 days. A few states cover some used cars too.
The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can also help when a warranty isn’t honored. FMYCAR isn’t a law firm; check your state attorney general’s lemon-law page.
How it shows up at the dealership
Lemon law claims are made against the manufacturer, not the selling dealer. The dealer’s service department is where your evidence comes from: repair orders that record your complaint, the date and the days the car was there.
Worked example · illustrative numbers, not a quote
What a typical claim file looks like
| Repair visit 1, month 3: transmission slipping | repair order on file |
| Visit 2, month 5: same complaint | repair order on file |
| Visit 3, month 7: same complaint | repair order on file |
| Days out of service so far | 26 |
| Next step | written notice to the manufacturer, per state law |
Illustrative only. Some states require written notice and a final repair attempt before a claim.
What to do
- Describe the problem the same way every visit and make sure it’s on the repair order.
- Keep every repair order, email and rental receipt.
- Read your state’s lemon-law page and note the deadlines.
What to say
“Please write my complaint on the repair order exactly as I describe it, and give me a copy showing the dates the car was here.”
Also called: lemon laws, lemon buyback.