Easy Lemon: Lemon Law Explainer

A lemon law is a statute that makes the manufacturer refund or replace a defective vehicle, bought or leased, when it can't fix a warranty defect in a set number of repair attempts or days in the shop. There are two layers. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §§2301-2312) governs any written warranty and lets a consumer sue for breach, and §2310(d)(2) lets the court add attorney's fees. Then each state sets its own numbers: N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a, Tex. Occ. Code §2301.601 to §2301.613, Fla. Stat. §681.10 to §681.118, N.J. Stat. §56:12-29 to §56:12-49 and 73 Pa. Stat. §1951 to §1960. Our plain-English guide to the lemon law shows how one claim uses both.

Yes in the states listed here, and in many others. New York covers vehicles purchased, leased or registered in the state (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a). Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio each count a car leased in the state for personal, family or household use (Tex. Occ. Code §2301.601 to §2301.613; Fla. Stat. §681.10; N.J. Stat. §56:12-29; 73 Pa. Stat. §1951; Ohio Rev. Code §1345.71). The lessee brings the claim, and the refund follows what the lessee actually paid. A 2025 Kia Sorento one client leased in Ohio wouldn't start on pickup day; 4 visits and 41 days out of service later, Kia repurchased it and unwound the lease. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Check your state on the areas we serve page before you assume a lease is excluded.

Yes, if the used car is still under the manufacturer’s warranty. New York has a separate Used Car Lemon Law, §198-b, and New Jersey has one covering used vehicles bought from dealers. Repeated defects that stay unfixed after a number of repair attempts may qualify for a refund, replacement, or cash compensation.

No statute requires one. New York's arbitration program and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles hearing process (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §198-a; Tex. Occ. Code §2301.601 to §2301.613) are both open to consumers filing on their own. Counsel changes the other side's math, and the fee rule is why: 15 U.S.C. §2310(d)(2) lets a court order the manufacturer to pay the consumer's attorney's fees, and New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida each have a state fee-shifting provision too. The Texas Lemon Law has no attorney-fee provision of its own. Easy Lemon works on contingency, so there is no attorney's fee unless we recover for you.