Lemon law in Connecticut

At a glance

Who qualifies

Which vehicles

New passenger cars, passenger and commercial (combination) vehicles, and motorcycles sold or leased in Connecticut.

“"Motor vehicle" means a passenger motor vehicle, a passenger and commercial motor vehicle or a motorcycle, as defined in section 14-1 , which is sold or leased in this state.”

cga.ct.gov

Repair attempts

The car is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired four or more times during that period and still exists.

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

cga.ct.gov

Serious safety defects

For a defect likely to cause death or serious injury, two repair attempts are enough if made within the warranty term or the first year after delivery, whichever ends first, and the defect still exists.

“if the nonconformity has been subject to repair at least twice by the manufacturer or its agents or authorized dealers within the express warranty term or during the period of one year following the date of the original delivery of the motor vehicle to a consumer, whichever period ends first”

cga.ct.gov

Days out of service

The car is also presumed a lemon if it is out of service for repair a total of 30 or more calendar days during the two-year, 24,000-mile period.

“the vehicle is out of service by reason of repair for a cumulative total of thirty or more calendar days during the applicable period”

cga.ct.gov

Used vehicles

The law is for new vehicles, but someone who gets the car while its express warranty still applies also counts as a consumer and can use the law.

“any person to whom such motor vehicle is transferred during the duration of an express warranty applicable to such motor vehicle”

cga.ct.gov

Leased vehicles

Yes. People who lease a vehicle count as consumers under the law.

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

cga.ct.gov

Deadlines

Protection period

Two years after the original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever ends first.

“during the period of two years following the date of original delivery of the motor vehicle to a consumer or during the period of the first twenty-four thousand miles of operation, whichever period ends first”

cga.ct.gov

Time limit to file

The law does not say.

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. Two years after the original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever ends first.
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

You only have to notify the manufacturer in writing if the warranty or owner's manual clearly says written notice is required before a refund or replacement.

“unless the manufacturer has clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the consumer, in the warranty or owner's manual, that written notification of the nonconformity is required before the consumer may be eligible for a refund or replacement of the vehicle.”

cga.ct.gov

Arbitration

The Department of Consumer Protection runs a state arbitration program for lemon law disputes.

“The Department of Consumer Protection shall provide an independent arbitration procedure for the settlement of disputes between consumers and manufacturers of motor vehicles which do not conform to all applicable warranties under the terms of section 42-179 .”

cga.ct.gov

What you get

The manufacturer must replace the car with a new one you accept, or take the car back and pay a refund to you and any lessor or lender.

“the manufacturer shall replace the motor vehicle with a new motor vehicle acceptable to the consumer, or accept return of the vehicle from the consumer and refund to the consumer, lessor and lienholder, if any, as their interests may appear, the following:”

cga.ct.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 (Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Lemon Law Program), 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 Connecticut. 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 Automobile Warranties (Connecticut Lemon Law) (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-179 to 42-186), 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 Connecticut

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

What Connecticut's program reports

Most complaints eligible for arbitration, 2021 to 2025: Jeep 48, Hyundai 32, Ford 21, Toyota 14, Honda 13.

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Lemon Law Arbitration Program, 2025. Source: Lemon Law Annual Report, 1 January to 31 December 2025, read October 26, 2026.

Questions people ask about Connecticut's lemon law

Find a Connecticut lemon law lawyer

In a warranty lawsuit, the court may award you your costs and reasonable attorney fees.

“the court, in its discretion, may award to the plaintiff his costs and reasonable attorney's fees”

cga.ct.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 Connecticut cases like yours. The firm contacts you, and you decide whether to hire them.

Sources

• Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-179 to 42-186, Automobile Warranties (Connecticut Lemon Law)
• Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Lemon Law Program
• 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.