Find the answers to your questions about New York’s New Car Lemon Law in our New York Lemon Law Fact Sheet
The following information comes from the Lemon Law section of the New York State Attorney General’s website. We encourage you to review their site as well as the New York New Car Lemon Law Guide for Consumers and the New York State New Car Lemon Law Consumer Bill of Rights for more detailed and complete information on New York’s New Car Lemon Law.
New car eligibility criteria
To summarize, new cars are eligible for consideration of the “lemon” classification if the vehicle:
- Was covered by warranty at point of delivery; AND
- Was leased, purchased or transferred within 18,000 miles or two years from the date of original delivery (whichever was reached first); AND
- Was either leased, purchased or transferred in New York State or is registered currently in New York State; AND
- Is primarily used for personal purposes.
Duty to repair
The criteria of a “reasonable chance” for authorized dealers or manufacturers to repair a new car are:
- The problem continues to exist after four or more attempts to repair it occurred; OR
- The car wasn’t able to be used due to repairs of the problem for a collective total of 30 days or more.
Exceptions to required manufacturer refund or replacement:
- Vehicle value isn’t significantly impacted by the problem to the consumer; OR
- Abuse, neglect or unauthorized alterations of the vehicle are found to be the cause(s) of the problem.
Steps consumers should take if they grow to be aware of a problem with their car:
- Right away report any condition or defect to either the manufacturer directly or to its authorized dealer. If you report it to the dealer, they’re compelled by law to send a notice in writing to the manufacturer within seven days.
- Retain complete and careful records of all grievances, copies of all work orders, repair bills and correspondence.
- If you experience difficulty getting copies of repair orders, you can contact the Department of Motor Vehicles at 518-474-8943
If you would like to speak to someone live, the Attorney General’s office has a consumer help line at (800) 771-7755.
New York Lemon Law Links
New York New Car Lemon Law Fact Sheet
New York New Car Lemon Law – General Business Law 198-a
New York Used Car Lemon Law Fact Sheet
New York Used Car Lemon Law – General Business Law §198-b
