Lemon law in Arizona

At a glance

Who qualifies

Which vehicles

Self-propelled vehicles made mainly to carry people or property on public highways. Vehicles with a declared gross weight over 10,000 pounds, vehicles sold at public auction, and vehicles bought for resale are not covered.

“The provisions of this article do not apply to a sale of a motor vehicle to a purchaser for the purpose of resale for profit or to a motor vehicle with a declared gross weight over ten thousand pounds or that is sold at a public auction.”

azleg.gov

Repair attempts

Four or more repairs of the same defect within the period, with the defect still present.

“The same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents or authorized dealers”

azleg.gov

Serious safety defects

The law does not say.

Days out of service

A cumulative total of 30 or more calendar days out of service for repair within the period.

“The motor vehicle is out of service by reason of repair for a cumulative total of thirty or more calendar days during the shorter of the express warranty term or the two year period or twenty-four thousand miles, whichever is earlier.”

azleg.gov

Used vehicles

Limited. Under A.R.S. 44-1267, the implied warranty on a dealer's used car lasts 15 days or 500 miles after delivery, whichever is earlier.

“The implied warranty of merchantability expires at midnight of the fifteenth calendar day after delivery of a used motor vehicle or when a used motor vehicle has been driven five hundred miles after delivery, whichever is earlier.”

azleg.gov

Leased vehicles

Yes. A lessee counts as a consumer under the law.

“"Consumer" means the purchaser, other than for the purposes of resale, or lessee of a motor vehicle”

azleg.gov

Deadlines

Protection period

The term of the express warranty or two years or 24,000 miles after original delivery, whichever is earlier. The defect must be reported in that period.

“The period of two years or twenty-four thousand miles following the date of original delivery of the motor vehicle to the consumer, whichever is earlier.”

azleg.gov

Time limit to file

A lawsuit must be filed within six months after the warranty ends or two years or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever is earliest.

“A consumer shall begin an action under this article within six months following the earlier of expiration of the express warranty term or two years or twenty-four thousand miles following the date of original delivery of the motor vehicle to the consumer”

azleg.gov

Steps

1. Keep every repair order. Each visit to the dealer should give you a work order with the date, the mileage, what you reported and what they did. Ask for one every time, even when they find nothing. These papers are your case.
2. Check the dates. The term of the express warranty or two years or 24,000 miles after original delivery, whichever is earlier. The defect must be reported in that period. A lawsuit must be filed within six months after the warranty ends or two years or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever is earliest.
3. Tell the manufacturer in writing. The law asks for written notice. See written notice below.
4. Use the dispute program if one is required. See arbitration below for whether you must go there before court.
5. Ask for a refund or a replacement, or file. Send the letter, then file before the time limit if the manufacturer will not buy the vehicle back or replace it.

Written notice

The presumption applies only if the manufacturer received direct written notice of the defect from or for the owner and had a chance to fix it.

“The presumption prescribed in this section does not apply against a manufacturer unless the manufacturer has received prior direct written notification from or on behalf of the consumer of the alleged defect and has had an opportunity to cure the alleged defect.”

azleg.gov

Arbitration

If the manufacturer has a dispute program that meets federal rules (16 CFR part 703), the owner must use it before getting a refund or replacement.

“section 44-1263 relating to refunds or replacement does not apply to any consumer who has not first resorted to such a procedure”

azleg.gov

What you get

The manufacturer replaces the vehicle with a new one or takes it back and refunds the full purchase price including collateral charges, minus a reasonable allowance for use.

“refund to the consumer the full purchase price, including all collateral charges, less a reasonable allowance for the consumer's use of the vehicle”

azleg.gov

Do it yourself

You can bring a lemon law claim without a lawyer. It takes letters, records and patience. The usual route:

1. Put your repair orders in date order and count the attempts and the days out of service.
2. Send the manufacturer the letter below, by a tracked method, to the address in your owner's manual or warranty booklet.
3. If it offers a final repair, let it try within the time the law gives it.
4. If it refuses or does not answer, file with the manufacturer's dispute program or the state program (Arizona Attorney General's Office), then court if you need to.
5. Do not sell or trade in the vehicle while the claim is open.

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]

[Manufacturer name]
[Address from your owner's manual or warranty booklet]

Re: Lemon law claim, [year make model], VIN [VIN]

I bought (or leased) this vehicle on [date] from [dealer], in Arizona. It has a defect that the dealer has not been able to fix: [describe it in one or two sentences].

It has been in for repair of this defect [number] times, on [dates], and out of service for a total of [number] days. Copies of the repair orders are enclosed.

Under Arizona's Lemon Law (A.R.S. §§ 44-1261 to 44-1267), I ask you to repurchase or replace the vehicle. Please reply in writing within 15 days. I can bring the vehicle in for a final repair attempt if the law gives you one.

[Your name]
[Phone and email]

What a buyback pays in Arizona

The law asks for a reasonable allowance for your use without a fixed formula. Makers and courts often use the one several states write into law: the price times the miles driven before the first repair visit for the defect, divided by 120,000. For a $40,000 car with 6,000 miles at the first repair and 15,000 now, that is about $2,000.

Estimate your buyback

Questions people ask about Arizona's lemon law

Find a Arizona lemon law lawyer

Yes. If the owner wins, the court must award reasonable costs and attorney fees.

“If a consumer prevails in an action under this article, the court shall award the consumer reasonable costs and attorney fees.”

azleg.gov

Because the manufacturer usually pays the lawyer's fees when you win, most lemon law lawyers charge you nothing up front. A lawyer also knows what the manufacturer offers in cases like yours and what the use deduction should be.

Send the free case check below and we find a lemon law firm that takes Arizona cases like yours. The firm contacts you, and you decide whether to hire them.

Sources

• A.R.S. §§ 44-1261 to 44-1267, Arizona's Lemon Law
• Arizona Attorney General's Office
• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2310, the federal warranty law that also lets owners recover attorney fees.

Each quote above is copied from the page it links to, checked 2026-10-26. If a page has moved, the citation still finds the law.