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Repair attempts and days in the shop, by state
A car is presumed a lemon when the same defect has been repaired 3 or 4 times without a fix, or it has been in the shop about 30 days in total, inside the state's protection period. 30 states set 4 attempts and 21 set 3. 19 states need fewer for a defect that could cause death or serious injury: 14 of them 1 attempt, 5 of them 2. 43 states count 30 days out of service.
The numbers in every state
| State | Repairs, same defect | Safety defect | Days in the shop | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3 | – | 30 | 12 months or 12,000 miles |
| Alaska | 3 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Arizona | 4 | – | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Arkansas | 3 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| California | 4 | 2 | 30 | 18 months or 18,000 miles |
| Colorado | 3 | 2 | 24 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Connecticut | 4 | 2 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Delaware | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| District of Columbia | 4 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 18,000 miles |
| Florida | 3 | – | 30 | 24 months |
| Georgia | 3 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Hawaii | 3 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Idaho | 4 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Illinois | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months or 12,000 miles |
| Indiana | 4 | – | 30 | 18 months or 18,000 miles |
| Iowa | 3 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Kansas | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Kentucky | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months or 12,000 miles |
| Louisiana | 4 | – | 45 | 12 months |
| Maine | 3 | 1 | 15 | 36 months or 18,000 miles |
| Maryland | 4 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 18,000 miles |
| Massachusetts | 3 | – | 15 | 12 months or 15,000 miles |
| Michigan | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Minnesota | 4 | 1 | 30 | 24 months |
| Mississippi | 3 | – | 15 | 12 months |
| Missouri | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Montana | 4 | – | 30 | 24 months or 18,000 miles |
| Nebraska | 4 | – | 40 | 12 months |
| Nevada | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| New Hampshire | 3 | – | 30 | See the guide |
| New Jersey | 3 | 1 | 20 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| New Mexico | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| New York | 4 | – | 30 | 24 months or 18,000 miles |
| North Carolina | 4 | – | 20 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| North Dakota | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Ohio | 3 | 1 | 30 | 12 months or 18,000 miles |
| Oklahoma | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Oregon | 3 | 1 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | – | 30 | 12 months or 12,000 miles |
| Rhode Island | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months or 15,000 miles |
| South Carolina | 3 | – | 30 | 12 months or 12,000 miles |
| South Dakota | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months or 12,000 miles |
| Tennessee | 3 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Texas | 4 | 2 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| Utah | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Vermont | 3 | – | 30 | See the guide |
| Virginia | 3 | 1 | 30 | 18 months |
| Washington | 4 | 2 | 30 | 24 months or 24,000 miles |
| West Virginia | 3 | 1 | 30 | 12 months |
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
| Wyoming | 4 | – | 30 | 12 months |
A dash: the law sets no separate number. Each state's guide quotes the law's own words and links to it.
What counts
- The same defect. Repair attempts are counted per defect. Different problems do not add up to one count, but they can add up to the days in the shop.
- Days in the shop are usually counted for all repairs of covered defects together, in calendar days.
- Visits where nothing was found still need a repair order. Report the problem the same way every time.
- Recall repairs for a defect that keeps coming back count like other repair visits.
- Inside the protection period. The attempts must start inside it, or the presumption does not apply.
The final repair attempt
In many states the maker gets one more try after you tell it in writing. Write to the maker, not only the dealer, by a tracked method. Your state guide quotes what its law says about notice, and the letter template covers it.
Questions people ask
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon?
30 states set 4 attempts for the same defect and 21 set 3, inside the protection period. A defect that could cause death or serious injury needs fewer in 19 states.
What is the 30 day lemon law?
43 states presume a lemon when the car has been out of service for repairs 30 days or more in total during the protection period. It is not a right to return a car within 30 days of buying it.
Do recall repairs count as repair attempts?
A recall alone does not make a car a lemon. If the same defect keeps coming back after recall repairs, each visit can count as an attempt. Keep the repair orders.
Do different problems add up?
Repair attempts are counted per defect. Days in the shop usually add up across all covered defects.
Sources
- Each state's lemon law, quoted and linked on its state guide.
Quotes are copied from the page they link to, checked October 26, 2026.
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