Washington Lemon Law

The Washington Lemon Law statute provides protection to consumers who purchase or lease a brand new car, truck, or motorcycle, as well as a motorized recreational vehicle, and have experienced defects with those vehicles. Specifically, the Washington Lemon Law covers any new motor vehicle (as detailed above) that was bought or leased in Washington and meets the following criteria:

• It was primarily designed for the transportation of persons or property over public highways.
• It has experienced at least one defect that substantially impaired the use, value or safety of the vehicle.

Manufacturers and warrantors of motor vehicles are required to repair its defects within a reasonable number of attempts. Under Washington’s Lemon Law, a “reasonable number of attempts” means one of the following:

• The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership at least two times for the same serious safety defect, with at least one occurring during the term of the manufacturer’s warranty, and the serious safety defect still exists; OR
• The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership at least four times for the same defect, with at least one occurring during the term of the manufacturer’s warranty, and the defect still exists; OR
• The vehicle was out of service as a result of its defects and repairs for at least thirty days, with at least fifteen of those days occurring during the term of the manufacturer’s warranty; OR
• The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership at least once for two different serious safety defects within the same twelve-month period, with at least one repair for each safety defect occurring during the term of the manufacturer’s warranty.

Our attorneys have represented purchasers of defective motor vehicles in Washington for several years. If you are not sure whether your vehicle is a lemon, our Washington Lemon Law attorneys can assist you and answer any questions that you have.

If your vehicle is a Lemon in the state of Washington, you are entitled to have the manufacturer repurchase it from you or replace it with a new one. Alternatively, there is the possibility of receiving a “cash-and-keep” settlement, wherein the manufacturer would pay you money damages based on the diminished value of your vehicle due to its defects.

Jacklyn is a Washington car buyer who sought our firm’s assistance because she was experiencing serious problems with the engine electrical system in her 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander. Jacklyn brought her vehicle to an authorized Mitsubishi dealer on multiple occasions for repairs, and it was out of service for several months as a result of those repairs. Jacklyn was in need of a Washington attorney that handled Lemon Law cases, and agreed to retain our law firm to represent her. In just a few months, we were able to convince Mitsubishi to repurchase Jacklyn’s defective vehicle, and they also paid our attorneys’ fees. We were able to successfully settle her case without even having to file a lawsuit against Mitsubishi.

Even if your vehicle does not technically fall under the requirements of the Lemon Law, you may still be entitled to receive compensation under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the federal lemon law that applies to any defective product that comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. That law also requires the manufacturer to pay the consumer’s attorneys’ fees, so we don’t have to charge our clients for our services.

Jacklyn is just one of the thousands of consumers that our attorneys have represented all over the country. Our experienced Washington Lemon Law attorneys will guide you every step of the way, and work with you directly to get the best possible outcome and resolution to your case. Connect here for a free, no-obligation Washington Lemon Law case review.