Buying & Finance · Free tool
Free Lemon Law Checker
Enter your state’s tests and your car’s repair history. The checker shows, test by test, whether your situation fits the pattern lemon laws look for.
- Free to use
- No signup
- Runs in your browser
Your state’s tests
Four states are filled in from their own agencies. For any other, enter the figures from your state’s lemon law.
The car
The problem
Act soon
Not there yet on repairs
Test by test, California
Covered by the manufacturer’s warranty: met
Lemon laws apply to defects the manufacturer’s warranty covers.
A serious defect: met
The problem has to matter to the car’s use, value or safety. Minor annoyances do not count.
Arose within 18 months or 18,000 miles: met
You entered 9 months and 8,000 miles.
4 or more repair attempts for the same problem: not met
You entered 3.
More than 30 days out of service: not met
You entered 12 days in total. The days do not have to be in a row.
Manufacturer notified in writing: not met
Florida and Texas, for example, require written notice to the manufacturer, not only the dealer, and a final chance to repair.
A screening checklist, not legal advice. Your state attorney general or a lemon law attorney can confirm where you stand.
A screening checklist against published thresholds, not legal advice. Read the disclaimer. Updated .
02Your result
What your lemon law result means
The checker compares your facts with published thresholds. It is a screening step, and the decision belongs to your state’s process.
- 01
The ruling
Whether your facts meet the warranty, timing and repair tests you entered. It is not a finding that your car is a lemon.
- 02
Test by test
Each test is marked as met or not met, so you can see exactly what is missing and what to document next.
- 03
Written notice
Several states require you to notify the manufacturer in writing and allow a final repair attempt before you can claim.
What to do next
Know your rights on a used car
The Buyers Guide, “as is” sales and what federal law does and does not give you.
Title red flags and rightsCheck for open recalls
Decode the VIN, then run it through NHTSA’s recall lookup.
VIN decoderPrice the repairs so far
Put a figure on what the problem has cost you.
Repair cost estimator
03How it works
How the lemon law checker decides
State lemon laws differ in their numbers but share a shape. The checker tests your facts against that shape, using the numbers you choose.
Qualifies when: covered by warranty AND a serious defect AND within the coverage period AND (repair attempts ≥ threshold OR days out of service ≥ threshold)
The attempts test and the days test are alternatives. Meeting either one is enough.
What each term means
- Coverage period
- The months or miles after delivery within which the problem must arise, such as 24 months or 24,000 miles.
- Repair attempts
- How many times the same defect has been presented for repair. Often four, and fewer for a serious safety defect.
- Days out of service
- The total days the car has spent in the shop for repairs. They do not have to be in a row.
- Written notice
- A letter to the manufacturer, not only the dealer, offering a final chance to repair.
What the tool assumes
- Four states are filled in from their own agencies’ summaries. Any other state uses the figures you enter.
- Thresholds are for new vehicles. Used and leased vehicles are covered in some states and not in others.
- The checker reads only the facts you give it. It does not review repair orders or contracts.
- It does not replace your state’s complaint process, arbitration or an attorney.
04Worked example
Lemon law example: four repairs in eleven months
A car bought new in Texas, 11 months and 9,500 miles old, repaired four times for the same warranty defect and 18 days in the shop.
- 01
Covered by the manufacturer’s warranty
Lemon laws apply to defects the manufacturer’s warranty covers.
Met
- 02
A serious defect
The problem has to matter to the car’s use, value or safety. Minor annoyances do not count.
Met
- 03
Arose within 24 months or 24,000 miles
You entered 11 months and 9,500 miles.
Met
- 04
4 or more repair attempts for the same problem
You entered 4.
Met
- 05
At least 30 days out of service
You entered 18 days in total. The days do not have to be in a row.
Not met
- 06
Manufacturer notified in writing
Florida and Texas, for example, require written notice to the manufacturer, not only the dealer, and a final chance to repair.
Met
Ruling
Tests met
Your facts match the usual tests. The four-times test is met even though the 30-day test is not, because either one is enough.
Try your own numbers05Background
How lemon laws work
A lemon law gives the buyer of a seriously defective vehicle the right to a replacement or a refund when the manufacturer cannot fix it in a reasonable number of attempts. Most states, and the District of Columbia, have one. Each state sets its own numbers.
| State | Coverage period | Repair attempts | Days out of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18 months or 18,000 miles | 4, or 2 for a defect that could cause death or serious injury | More than 30 |
| New York | 2 years or 18,000 miles | 4 | 30 or more |
| Texas | 24 months or 24,000 miles | 4, or 2 for a serious safety hazard | 30 or more |
| Florida | 24 months | 3 | 30 or more |
Where a claim goes next also varies, but the steps are similar:
- 01
Keep every repair order
Each visit should record the complaint, the dates in and out and the mileage.
- 02
Notify the manufacturer in writing
Florida and Texas, for example, require written notice to the manufacturer and a final opportunity to repair.
- 03
Use the state’s process
Texas takes complaints through its Department of Motor Vehicles. California and Florida use arbitration programs.
- 04
Know the remedy
A replacement vehicle or a refund of the purchase price, depending on the state and the case.
For what a dealer must tell you when you buy used, see title red flags and your rights.
06When to use it
When to use a lemon law checker
When the same fault keeps coming back and you need to know whether it is time to escalate.
After a third repair visit
See how close you are to your state’s threshold.
To organize your records
Count attempts and days the way the law counts them.
Before writing to the manufacturer
Know which tests you meet, so your letter can say so.
Before speaking to an attorney
Arrive with the facts in the order they will be asked for.
Mistakes to avoid.
- Counting visits for different problems as attempts at the same defect.
- Complaining only to the dealer when the law requires notice to the manufacturer.
- Waiting until the coverage period has run out to start keeping records.
- Assuming a used car is covered without checking your state’s rules.
07Related guides and tools
Keep going from here.
Guides that go with this tool
Related tools
08Questions
Lemon Law Checker: your questions.
How do I know if my car is a lemon?
In most states a car may qualify when a serious defect covered by the warranty has not been fixed after a set number of repair attempts, or the car has been out of service for a set number of days, within a period after delivery. The numbers differ by state.
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon?
It depends on the state. California, New York and Texas use four attempts for the same problem, and Florida uses three. California and Texas need only two when the defect is a serious safety hazard.
How many days in the shop qualify under lemon law?
Often 30. New York, Texas and Florida use a total of 30 or more days out of service, and California uses more than 30. The days do not have to be consecutive.
Does lemon law apply to used cars?
Sometimes. California covers used vehicles still under the manufacturer’s new vehicle warranty, and New York has a separate used-car lemon law. In Texas only new vehicles can qualify for a refund or replacement.
What should I do if my car qualifies?
Gather your repair orders, notify the manufacturer in writing and follow your state’s complaint or arbitration process. Your state attorney general’s office or a lemon law attorney can confirm the steps.
09Estimates and sources
Read this before you rely on it.
Built and checked by CarTipsMentor Team. Last updated . How we check our work.
Sources
- [1]California Department of Consumer Affairs, California's Lemon Law Q&A (revised September 2024)
- [2]New York State Attorney General, New-car lemon law: fact sheet
- [3]Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Texas Lemon Law
- [4]Florida Attorney General, How The Florida Lemon Law Works
- [5]Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Can I return a car that I bought if it has mechanical problems?
- [6]Federal Trade Commission, Buying a Used Car From a Dealer