Wisconsin Lemon Law Attorneys
You Can Get a Cash Settlement, a Replacement Car, or a Refund with Easy Lemon
The Wisconsin Lemon Law (Wis. Stat. §218.0171) 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 Wisconsin drivers at every stage.
How your Wisconsin claim gets built
Our lemon law work is directed by Steven P. Nassi, Esq., Managing Partner, Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C. A Wisconsin claim gets built on two things: the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin's Lemon Law
Wisconsin's Lemon Law is found at Wis. Stat. §218.0171 and sets the rules for defective new vehicles in the state.
How Wisconsin's Lemon Law Process Works
Document Your Repairs
Ask for a repair order every time you visit a Wisconsin dealer, even if the technician finds nothing. Under Wis. Stat. §218.0171, 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 Wisconsin'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 Wis. Stat. §218.0171 requires.
Manufacturer Response
If Wisconsin law gives the manufacturer a final repair attempt, it gets one. If the defect remains, Wisconsin 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 Wis. Stat. §218.0171, 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.
Wisconsin Lemon Law Results
These are actual settlements obtained by the firm, shown because we do not yet have enough resolved matters in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Lemon Law
Answers anchored to Wis. Stat. §218.0171, the statute that governs lemon law claims in Wisconsin.
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 →Wisconsin Lemon Law Arbitration
If a dispute program certified by the state is available to you, Wisconsin makes you use it before you can sue, so the program can be the step between a failed repair history and the courthouse. We check which program applies to your car, and the general questions about these programs are answered in our lemon law FAQ.
When can a Wisconsin program hear my case?
Once the repair history meets the threshold of 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 do the filing, and we attach the repair orders plus proof that the notice went out.
Does the program have the last word?
Often it binds the manufacturer. You usually keep the right to go to civil court, but appeal deadlines vary, and that's why we'd rather have a copy of the decision the day it shows up. If the program doesn't resolve things, either side can file a civil suit, and the county circuit courts that cover Milwaukee, Waukesha, Janesville and several other cities are listed in the Statute-Cited Answers below.
How long does a Wisconsin program take?
Each program sets its own schedule.
Wisconsin Lemon Law vs Federal Magnuson-Moss
Most Wisconsin cases can be brought under both laws, and we check every file under §218.0171 and under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301) before picking which one to lead with.
Wisconsin Lemon Law
Wisconsin requires 4 repair attempts for the same defect or 30 cumulative calendar days out of service, and the Kia K5 we handled had three visits but 54 days. You get 3 years from the date of first delivery to the original consumer to file, and the law covers new motor vehicles purchased or leased in Wisconsin for purposes other than resale, motor homes too. If a state-certified dispute program is available to you, you have to go through it before you sue, and a consumer who prevails can recover attorney fees from the manufacturer.
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
The federal act doesn't count visits or days. It just asks for a "reasonable number" of repair attempts, and what's reasonable depends on the facts. It also runs as long as the express warranty does, so it can reach a defect outside the Wisconsin lemon law period, and it covers products sold with a written warranty, which is why used cars often qualify. It requires an arbitration step before suit only if the written warranty makes you use a program that meets FTC rules, and its fee rule is 15 U.S.C. §2310(d)(2).
Our Wisconsin client's Kia K5 claim went under both laws at once.
Wisconsin Lemon Law: Statute-Cited Answers
Which Wisconsin court hears a lemon law case, from Milwaukee to Janesville?
A Wisconsin lemon law case is usually filed in the county where you live or where the car was sold, in that county's general civil trial court. Milwaukee is more complicated, because per the 2020 Census parts of the city lie in Milwaukee County, Washington County and Waukesha County, and each one has its own court, the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the Washington County Circuit Court and the Waukesha County Circuit Court. West Allis is in Milwaukee County. Waukesha, Brookfield and Menomonee Falls are in Waukesha County. Janesville and Beloit are both in Rock County, with the Rock County Circuit Court. La Crosse is in La Crosse County, with the La Crosse County Circuit Court, and Sheboygan is in Sheboygan County, with the Sheboygan County Circuit Court. 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's brought under.
What do Wisconsin lemon law attorneys need from you?
The repair orders come first, every one of them.
- Every repair order from the dealership, including visits where nothing was found
- The purchase or lease contract, which shows the delivery date that starts the 3-year window
- The warranty booklet, which shows the express warranty
- Emails, texts and letters with the dealer or manufacturer
- Receipts for towing, rentals and lodging, which 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 at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What defects count under Wisconsin lemon laws?
A defect has to substantially impair the use, market value or safety of the vehicle, which is what §218.0171 means by a nonconformity, and scratches and small paint flaws usually don't. What Wisconsin drivers bring us most is engine stalling and misfires, transmission shudder or failure (our client's Kia K5 had a judder that two new transmissions didn't cure), electrical faults that leave warning lights on, brake and steering problems, and driver-assistance (ADAS) systems that brake or drift on their own.
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". 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 mileage offset change a Wisconsin buyback?
The offset comes off your refund, and Wisconsin caps it: under §218.0171 the allowance can't be more than the full purchase price × (miles driven before you first reported the defect to the dealer ÷ 100,000), or ÷ 20,000 for a motorcycle. So the miles you drive after that first report don't raise the cap. Many states take your mileage instead, divide it by a useful life of usually 100,000 to 120,000 miles and multiply by the price. A smaller divisor means a bigger deduction, and we check the manufacturer's math before anything gets signed. Registration, taxes and finance charges usually come back to you in the refund, and so do towing or rental costs, while attorney fees get paid apart from the buyback.
Do you have to send the manufacturer written notice in Wisconsin?
Yes, Wisconsin requires written notice to the manufacturer (Wis. Stat. §218.0171), and we write that letter and send it ourselves.
Serving Drivers Across All of Wisconsin
Easy Lemon represents Wisconsin consumers from Milwaukee to Lake Superior. We handle Wis. Stat. §218.0171 cases remotely, regardless of city or county.
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