What is Lemon Law?

Lemon laws establish standards that state when a vehicle should be repurchased or replaced by its manufacturer. Here's where you can learn more about the numerous requirements associated with lemon laws.

Lemon laws are American state laws that provide a remedy for purchasers of cars that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance. These cars are called lemons. The federal lemon law (the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act) protects citizens of all states. State lemon laws vary by state and may not necessarily cover used or leased cars. The rights afforded to consumers by lemon laws may exceed the warranties expressed in purchase contracts. Lemon law is the common nickname for these laws, but each state has different names for the laws and acts.

In California, lemon laws cover anything mechanical, as do the federal lemon laws. The federal lemon law also provides that the warranter may be obligated to pay the prevailing party's attorney fees in a successful lemon law suit, as do most state lemon laws

Reason For Law's Name
In the 1800s, people started using the word 'lemon' to describe people who were sour (or unfriendly). In American English the word was first recorded in 1909 in the slang sense of "worthless thing".[1] Over time, 'lemon' came to refer to anything that was defective or broken or which breaks constantly, particularly a car.

Warranty Overview
At the core of most lemon laws is the manufacturer's breach of warranty. A manufacturer's warranty is what makes the manufacturer legally responsible for repairs to the consumer's vehicle or good. It is a form of guarantee. An express warranty is typically a written warranty. An implied warranty unlike an express warranty, is not written. The law imposes these obligations on the manufacturer, the seller or both as a matter of public policy. These vary from state to state.

Used Car Purchases
If you purchased a used car there are two situations in which you may be qualified for cash or other lemon law benefits:

Situation #1: Under Warranty

You may be entitled to compensation for breach of warranty if you had one of the following warranties:

Any warranty left from the manufacturer when you purchased your vehicle (for example, almost all vehicles sold with fewer than 36,000 miles will have this, unless the duration has ended. But if the warranty is longer, you may have even more time).
Your vehicle was "Certified" by the manufacturer (in which case it came with a short Manufacturer's Warranty, typically 1 year).
You purchased an Extended Warranty backed by the manufacturer (typically 5 years or longer).
Normally, these types of cases fall outside the scope of the state lemon law but are covered under special federal lemon laws.

Situation #2: When No Manufacturer's Warranty Exists

If you do not have a manufacturer's warranty of any kind you may be entitled to compensation for violations of consumer protection laws that fall outside of the lemon laws. The following is a list of some of the problems and/or issues which may be present in your vehicle.

Prior history of mechanical problems known to the seller: Laundered Lemon.
Previously salvaged or wrecked.
Fraudulently rolled back odometer.
Rental car, police car, taxi, or similar.
Stolen, stripped and rebuilt.
Involved in a flood.
Lemon Laws vary from state to state, so accurate information on the scope and restrictions of Lemon Laws in a particular state should be obtained from an attorney practicing in that state.

"AS IS" Purchases
Knowingly purchasing a car in "as is" condition does not void the buyer's rights under applicable lemon laws.

Other Lemon Laws
Lemon laws are not limited to cars. There are RV lemon laws, boat lemon laws, motorcycle, wheelchair and computer lemon laws.

USA States Lemon Laws

Alabama - Montgomery-Lemon Laws
Alaska - Juneau-Lemon Laws
Arizona - Phoenix-Lemon Laws
Arkansas - Little Rock-Lemon Laws
California - Sacramento-Lemon Laws
Colorado - Denver-Lemon Laws
Connecticut - Hartford-Lemon Laws
Delaware - Dover-Lemon Laws
Florida - Tallahassee-Lemon Laws
Georgia - Atlanta-Lemon Laws
Hawaii - Honolulu-Lemon Laws
Idaho - Boise-Lemon Laws
Illinois - Springfield-Lemon Laws
Indiana - Indianapolis-Lemon Laws
Iowa - Des Moines-Lemon Laws
Kansas - Topeka-Lemon Laws
Kentucky - Frankfort-Lemon Laws
Louisiana - Baton Rouge-Lemon Laws
Maine - Augusta-Lemon Laws
Maryland - Annapolis-Lemon Laws
Massachusetts - Boston-Lemon Laws
Michigan - Lansing-Lemon Laws
Minnesota - St. Paul-Lemon Laws
Mississippi - Jackson-Lemon Laws
Missouri - Jefferson City-Lemon Laws
Montana - Helena-Lemon Laws
Nebraska - Lincoln-Lemon Laws
Nevada - Carson City-Lemon Laws
New Hampshire - Concord-Lemon Laws
New Jersey - Trenton-Lemon Laws
New Mexico - Santa Fe-Lemon Laws
New York - Albany-Lemon Laws
North Carolina - Raleigh-Lemon Laws
North Dakota - Bismarck-Lemon Laws
Ohio - Columbus-Lemon Laws
Oklahoma - Oklahoma City-Lemon Laws
Oregon - Salem-Lemon Laws
Pennsylvania - Harrisburg-Lemon Laws
Rhode Island - Providence-Lemon Laws
South Carolina - Columbia-Lemon Laws
South Dakota - Pierre-Lemon Laws
Tennessee - Nashville-Lemon Laws
Texas - Austin-Lemon Laws
Utah - Salt Lake City-Lemon Laws
Vermont - Montpelier-Lemon Laws
Virginia - Richmond-Lemon Laws
Washington - Olympia-Lemon Laws
West Virginia - Charleston-Lemon Laws
Wisconsin - Madison-Lemon Laws
Wyoming - Cheyenne-Lemon Laws
Delaware - DE-Lemon Laws
District of Columbia - DC-Lemon Laws
Federated States of Micronesia* - FM-Lemon Laws
Florida - FL-Lemon Laws
Georgia - GA-Lemon Laws
Guam - GU-Lemon Laws
Hawaii - HI-Lemon Laws
Idaho - ID-Lemon Laws
Illinois - IL-Lemon Laws
Indiana - IN-Lemon Laws
Iowa - IA-Lemon Laws
Kansas - KS-Lemon Laws
Kentucky - KY-Lemon Laws
Louisiana - LA-Lemon Laws
Maine - ME-Lemon Laws
Marshall Islands* - MH-Lemon Laws
Maryland - MD-Lemon Laws
Massachusetts - MA-Lemon Laws
Michigan - MI-Lemon Laws
Minnesota - MN-Lemon Laws
Mississippi - MS-Lemon Laws
Missouri - MO-Lemon Laws
Montana - MT-Lemon Laws
Nebraska - NE-Lemon Laws
Nevada - NV-Lemon Laws
New Hampshire - NH-Lemon Laws
New Jersey - NJ-Lemon Laws
New Mexico - NM-Lemon Laws
New York - NY-Lemon Laws
North Carolina - NC-Lemon Laws
North Dakota - ND-Lemon Laws
Northern Mariana Islands - MP-Lemon Laws
Ohio - OH-Lemon Laws
Oklahoma - OK-Lemon Laws
Oregon - OR-Lemon Laws
Palau* - PW-Lemon Laws
Pennsylvania - PA-Lemon Laws
Puerto Rico - PR-Lemon Laws
Rhode Island - RI-Lemon Laws
South Carolina - SC-Lemon Laws
South Dakota - SD-Lemon Laws
Tennessee - TN-Lemon Laws
Texas - TX-Lemon Laws
Utah - UT-Lemon Laws
Vermont - VT-Lemon Laws
Virgin Island - VI-Lemon Laws
Virginia - VA-Lemon Laws
Washington - WA-Lemon Laws
West Virginia - WV-Lemon Laws
Wisconsin - WI-Lemon Laws
Wyoming - WY-Lemon Laws