Rhode Island Lemon Law Attorneys
You Can Get a Cash Settlement, a Replacement Car, or a Refund with Easy Lemon
The Rhode Island Lemon Law (R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14) 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 Rhode Island drivers at every stage.
How your Rhode Island claim gets built
Our lemon law work is directed by Steven P. Nassi, Esq., Managing Partner, Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C. A Rhode Island claim gets built on two things: the Rhode Island lemon law statute, and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which applies in all fifty states. Send the repair orders and the purchase or lease paperwork, and we can tell you which of the two fits your vehicle.
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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island's Lemon Law
Rhode Island's Lemon Law is found at R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14 and sets the rules for defective new vehicles in the state.
How Rhode Island's Lemon Law Process Works
Document Your Repairs
Ask for a repair order every time you visit a Rhode Island dealer, even if the technician finds nothing. Under R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14, 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 Rhode Island'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 R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14 requires.
Manufacturer Response
If Rhode Island law gives the manufacturer a final repair attempt, it gets one. If the defect remains, Rhode Island 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
R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14 lets a consumer who prevails recover attorney fees. 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.
Rhode Island Lemon Law Results
These are actual settlements obtained by the firm, shown because we do not yet have enough resolved matters in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Lemon Law
Answers anchored to R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14, the statute that governs lemon law claims in Rhode Island.
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 →Rhode Island Lemon Law Arbitration
Before a Rhode Island lemon law case goes to court, the consumer must first use the manufacturer's qualifying procedure or the state motor vehicle arbitration board, so one of those two is usually the next stop after a repair history that didn't fix the car. We check which route fits your claim, and the general questions about these programs are answered in our lemon law FAQ.
When can my case go to the board or the manufacturer's program?
Once the repair history reaches 4 repair attempts for the same defect or 30 cumulative calendar days out of service, and after any written notice to the manufacturer that the statute makes a prerequisite. We look up whether the manufacturer has a qualifying procedure. Then we do the filing ourselves, and the repair orders go in with it, along with the purchase or lease contract that shows the delivery date.
Can I still file a lawsuit after arbitration in Rhode Island?
After an informal dispute procedure you can, because the statute says a consumer who uses one is never precluded from later seeking its remedies in court. Appeal deadlines vary, which is why we'd like a copy of any decision the day it shows up.
How long does it take?
Each program sets its own schedule.
Rhode Island Lemon Law vs Federal Magnuson-Moss
Most Rhode Island cases can be brought under both laws, so we check every file under the state lemon law and under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301) before picking which one to lead with.
Rhode Island Lemon Law
Rhode Island counts 4 repair attempts for the same defect or 30 cumulative calendar days out of service, and its term of protection is 1 year or 15,000 miles from delivery, whichever comes first. The law reaches new motor vehicles purchased or leased in the state for personal, family, or household use, and before court the owner must first go to the manufacturer's qualifying procedure or the state motor vehicle arbitration board. A consumer who prevails is entitled to attorney fees.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
Where Rhode Island counts visits and days, the federal act just asks for a "reasonable number" of repair attempts, and what's reasonable depends on the facts. Its time limit is as long as the express warranty lasts, so it can reach a defect outside the Rhode Island lemon law period, and because it covers any product sold with a written warranty, used cars often qualify. Federal law requires arbitration before suit only if the written warranty makes you use a program that meets FTC rules, and the fee rule is 15 U.S.C. §2310(d)(2).
A case under either law can be filed in state or federal court.
Rhode Island Lemon Law: Statute-Cited Answers
Which Rhode Island court hears a lemon law lawsuit?
Usually the Rhode Island Superior Court, the civil trial court for Providence, Pawtucket and North Providence in Providence County, for South Kingstown in Washington County and for Bristol in Bristol County. A case is normally filed in the county where you live or where the car was sold. Rhode Island 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 also go to Federal District Court if damages are over $50,000 or party diversity permits it (15 U.S.C. §2310(d)(1)). In the end, which court hears a particular case still depends on its facts, the warranty issues involved and the law it is brought under.
What do Rhode Island lemon law attorneys need from you?
A claim lives or dies on its paperwork, and the repair orders come first, every one of them, including visits where the technician found nothing.
- the purchase or lease contract, which shows the delivery date
- the warranty booklet, which shows the express warranty
- emails, texts and letters with the dealer or manufacturer
- receipts for towing, rentals and lodging, since those costs are often recoverable
It helps to write down the date, the mileage and the symptom each time the problem shows up. You can also look up your VIN for recall notices on the NHTSA site, nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What defects count under Rhode Island lemon laws?
The test in Rhode Island is whether the defect substantially impairs the use, market value or safety of the vehicle. A 2022 Jeep Wrangler we handled in South Carolina was pulling right and vibrating three days after it was bought, at 186 miles. Later it got the "death wobble", and by 28,280 miles it shook hard at highway speed. It went in for four repair attempts, one of them a recall repair, and the case was resolved on confidential terms.
How does the use offset change a Rhode Island buyback?
The offset comes off the refund for the miles you drove, and each state counts those miles its own way. A smaller divisor in the manufacturer's math means a bigger deduction. Registration, taxes and finance charges usually come back in the refund, and so do towing or rental costs, while attorney fees are paid apart from the buyback. We check the manufacturer's numbers before anything gets signed.
Does Rhode Island require written notice to the manufacturer?
We check whether R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14 makes written notice a prerequisite for your claim, and if it does, we draft the letter, send it and follow up with the manufacturer.
Serving Drivers Across All of Rhode Island
Easy Lemon represents Rhode Island consumers from Providence to Newport. We handle R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-1 to §31-5.2-14 cases remotely, regardless of city or county.
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