New York Lemon Law Attorneys
You Can Get a Cash Settlement, a Replacement Car, or a Refund with Easy Lemon
The New York Lemon Law (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a) requires manufacturers to repurchase or replace a new motor vehicle with a substantial defect after 4 repair attempts for the same defect or 30 cumulative calendar days out of service. Under this statute, the manufacturer pays the consumer's attorney fees when the consumer prevails, no attorney fees unless we recover for you. Easy Lemon represents New York drivers at every stage.
Your New York lemon law attorney
Admitted in New York, 2004 · New York State Bar No. 4263489
Steven P. Nassi founded the firm and still runs it. Admitted in New York in 2004, NY Bar No. 4263489. Before that, Cardozo, where he was supervising editor of the Cardozo Law Review, and SUNY Binghamton before that. He has handled New York vehicle claims since 2004. If your car keeps going back to the shop for the same fault, he is the one who reads the file.
Read Steven Nassi’s full bio →Is Your Car a Lemon?
Your car may be a lemon if it keeps going back to the dealer or the mechanic for the same problem. Under New York law, the defect must make the car unsafe, unreliable or worth much less. The manufacturer or dealer must also have failed to fix it after several tries.
The same noise, shaking or warning light keeps coming back.
The dealer has worked on it multiple times and the problem is still there.
Understanding New York's Lemon Law
New York's Lemon Law is found at N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a and sets the rules for defective new vehicles in the state.
How New York's Lemon Law Process Works
Document Your Repairs
Ask for a repair order every time you visit a New York dealer, even if the technician finds nothing. Under N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a, these papers prove your repair attempts. Keep every receipt and work order.
Contact Easy Lemon
Send us your records. We check your repair history against New York's statute and tell you if your car qualifies as a lemon. The consultation is free, with no obligation.
We File Your Claim
We prepare the claim and handle the paperwork. This includes any notice to the manufacturer that N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a requires.
Manufacturer Response
If New York law gives the manufacturer a final repair attempt, it gets one. If the defect remains, New York law entitles you to relief. Most claims then move toward settlement.
Get Compensated
You receive a refund, a replacement vehicle or a cash settlement. No attorney fees unless we recover for you.
Why Choose Us for Lemon Law?
Past Results
We've recovered over $30 million for our clients by securing refunds, cash settlements, and replacements.
Client-Centered Approach
We receive positive feedback from clients we have represented.
Fee-Shift Representation
Under N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a, the manufacturer pays the consumer's attorney fees when the consumer prevails. No fee unless we recover compensation.
Focused Results
We know the stress defective vehicles bring, so we simplify the process for you.
At Easy Lemon, your success is our mission. Let us simplify the process and get you the justice you deserve.
New York Lemon Law Results
These are actual settlements obtained by the firm, shown because we do not yet have enough resolved matters in New York to report state-level figures. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome; every case is different. See our recent settlements page for more.
Defect: electrical/ technology
Results may vary. Prior outcomes do not guarantee a similar result. Each case is unique and depends on its specific facts and applicable law.
What The Manufacturer May Owe You
Refund
You get your purchase price back, including taxes and fees, minus any use deduction New York law allows.
Cash Settlement
You receive a payment for the unresolved defect and keep your car.
Vehicle Replacement
You get a comparable new vehicle in place of the defective one, at no extra cost.
Meet Our Legal Team
Our lawyers are only permitted to practice law in the jurisdictions in which they are licensed or have been authorized to practice.
What Our Clients Say
About the New York Lemon Law
Answers anchored to N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a, the statute that governs lemon law claims in New York.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still Have Questions?
Our team reviews every case individually. The fastest answer is a free consultation — no pressure, no commitment.
Get a Free Case Review →New York Lemon Law Arbitration
If the manufacturer has its own dispute resolution program, you must use it first to get a refund or replacement in New York. There is also a separate arbitration program at the state level; this is optional for you, and all manufacturers must participate if you select it. We check which program applies first, and our lemon law FAQ covers the other steps.
Which program do you have to use first?
The manufacturer's own program, when it has one and you want a refund or a replacement. Its rules set the timing, so the calendar changes from one manufacturer to the next. We read the warranty booklet to see whether there is one.
Can the manufacturer refuse the state program?
No. Every manufacturer must take part if you choose it.
What has to happen before arbitration?
The repair history has to meet the §198-a threshold, 4 repair attempts for the same defect or 30 cumulative calendar days out of service. The problem also has to have been reported to the manufacturer, its agent or its authorized dealer, and a report to the dealer counts. We gather the repair orders, the purchase or lease contract and the warranty booklet, and we prepare the filing for whichever program applies.
New York Lemon Law vs Federal Magnuson-Moss
We review New York cases under both the state lemon law and Magnuson-Moss, and our 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and 2024 GMC Acadia claims in New York were brought under both.
New York's lemon laws
New York requires 4 repair attempts for the same defect or 30 cumulative calendar days out of service, and claims must be filed within 4 years from original delivery, with the defect first reported within 18,000 miles or two years, whichever is earlier. This law applies to new motor vehicles purchased, leased or registered in New York; used cars are covered separately under §198-b. If a consumer wins, the manufacturer pays the attorney fees, and if the manufacturer has its own dispute program, you must use it first to get a refund or replacement, while the state program is your choice.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301)
The federal law only requires "a reasonable number" of repair attempts, and how many counts as reasonable depends on the specific circumstances. The time limit is the length of the express warranty, which lets you pursue defects outside New York's lemon law period, and used cars often qualify because the law applies to anything sold with a written warranty. Under federal law, arbitration comes first only if the written warranty makes you use a program that meets FTC rules, fees come under 15 U.S.C. §2310(d)(2), and cases can proceed in state court or federal court.
New York Lemon Law: Statute-Cited Answers
What do New York lemon law attorneys need from you?
All repair orders, the purchase or lease contract and the warranty booklet. Under N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a the 4-year clock starts running from the date of delivery on the contract.
When does the owner send a certified letter?
Rarely. In the ordinary case the dealer forwards written notice to the manufacturer by certified mail within seven days of your report (§198-a(b)(1)).
Certified mail from the owner matters in two narrow cases. The first is notice that a dealer refused to start work on your vehicle within seven days (§198-a(b)(2)), and that notice triggers a 20-day countdown. The other case is the motor-home notice at §198-a(b-1)(6). Otherwise, reporting to an authorized dealer is sufficient according to the law. We check to see if either of these narrow cases applies to you.
How is the buyback offset calculated in New York?
The first 12,000 miles do not incur any deduction. After that, the offset is calculated as purchase price times (miles driven over 12,000 divided by 100,000). Many states use a useful life of 100,000 to 120,000 miles, but New York has its own specific rule. Registration fees, taxes, finance charges, and towing or rental costs usually go into the refund. Attorney fees are separate from the buyback. We check the manufacturer's calculation against the statute, because using a smaller divisor for miles results in a bigger deduction.
Which New York court hears a lemon law lawsuit?
Usually the Supreme Court of the State of New York, the state's general civil trial court, in the county where you live or where the car was sold. In New York City it sits in all five counties, Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens and Richmond (Staten Island), and outside the city it's the Supreme Court for Erie County for Buffalo, Monroe County for Rochester, Onondaga County for Syracuse, Albany County for Albany, Oneida County for Utica, Broome County for Binghamton, Tompkins County for Ithaca, Niagara County for Niagara Falls, Schenectady County, Nassau County for Freeport and Westchester County for Yonkers, New Rochelle and White Plains. New York also has a lower court for smaller civil claims, so the amount in dispute can change where a case is filed. A Magnuson-Moss claim can go to federal District Court (15 U.S.C. §2310(d)(1)) when damages exceed $50,000. In the end, which court hears a case depends on its facts, the warranty issues and the law it's brought under.
Lemon law or a UCC implied warranty: which one fits?
The lemon law covers new vehicles; UCC implied warranties are part of New York's commercial code and apply to sales of goods by merchants, including used cars. Merchantability under UCC §2-314 is a lower standard than the lemon law's substantial impairment. UCC §2-315 covers fitness for a particular purpose and applies if a buyer relied on the seller's advice for a specific use like towing. Claims of breach of warranty, along with New York's unfair trade practice and consumer protection laws, can also reach defects that fall short of the repair count.
Serving Drivers Across All of New York
Easy Lemon represents New York consumers from Buffalo to Manhattan. We handle N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a cases remotely, regardless of city or county.
New York by Manufacturer
New York-specific manufacturer pages: notice procedure for that automaker, defect patterns by model line, and how each interacts with N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a.
Chevrolet × New York
Silverado, Tahoe, Equinox, Bolt EV: GM notice procedure, NY AG / NYSDRA arbitration under §198-a, four-attempt and 30-day patterns, salt-belt and transfer-case defect classes.
See page →Jeep × New York
Wrangler 4xe, Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer cluster: FCA US LLC (Stellantis) notice procedure, NY DOS arbitration or court under GBL §198-a, salt-belt and 4xe cold-soak defect classes.
See page →Ram × New York
Ram 1500 / 2500 / 3500 / ProMaster: GBL §198-a DOS arbitration or court, salt-belt frame and brake corrosion, Cummins relay fire (21V-798), tailgate latch (22V-904).
See page →Dodge × New York
Charger / Challenger / Durango / Hornet / Daytona EV: GBL §198-a DOS arbitration or court, salt-belt Charger/Challenger brake-line corrosion, Durango ABS/ESC, Hornet PHEV cold-soak failures.
See page →Volkswagen × New York
Atlas / Tiguan / Taos / ID.4 / Jetta / ID. Buzz: GBL §198-a DOS arbitration or court. ID.4 door handle in NY winter rain (23V-312/24V-651), Tiguan/Taos 22V-176 rear suspension, Atlas airbag delay (22V-152).
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Our experienced attorneys handle everything — from paperwork to manufacturer negotiations. You focus on your life, we'll get you results.