Lemon law in Iowa

At a glance

Who qualifies

Which vehicles

New or previously untitled cars and trucks bought or leased in Iowa, up to 15,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating. Mopeds, motorcycles, autocycles, and motor homes are not covered.

“primarily designed for the transportation of persons or property over public streets and highways, but does not include mopeds, motorcycles, autocycles, motor homes, or vehicles over fifteen thousand pounds gross vehicle weight rating.”

legis.iowa.gov

Repair attempts

The car is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been examined or repaired at least three times, plus a final repair attempt by the manufacturer if one was requested, and the defect still exists.

“The same nonconformity that substantially impairs the motor vehicle has been subject to examination or repair at least three times by the manufacturer or its authorized service agent, plus a final attempt by the manufacturer to repair the motor vehicle”

legis.iowa.gov

Serious safety defects

For a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, one examination or repair attempt, plus a final attempt by the manufacturer, is enough.

“A nonconformity that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury has been subject to examination or repair at least one time by the manufacturer or its authorized service agent, plus a final attempt by the manufacturer”

legis.iowa.gov

Days out of service

The car is presumed a lemon if it has been out of service for repair a total of 30 or more calendar days during the rights period, not counting routine maintenance.

“cumulative total of thirty or more days, exclusive of down time for routine maintenance prescribed by the owner's manual.”

legis.iowa.gov

Used vehicles

Only in part. The law covers buyers of new or previously untitled vehicles, and anyone else entitled to enforce the warranty during the lemon law rights period.

“a new or previously untitled motor vehicle, or any other person entitled by the terms of the warranty to enforce the obligations of the warranty during the duration of the lemon law rights period.”

legis.iowa.gov

Leased vehicles

Yes, for leases of one year or more where the lessee is responsible for repairs.

“"Lessee" means any consumer who leases a motor vehicle for one year or more pursuant to a written lease agreement which provides that the lessee is responsible for repairs to the motor vehicle.”

legis.iowa.gov

Deadlines

Protection period

The lemon law rights period is the manufacturer's written warranty term, two years after delivery, or the first 24,000 miles, whichever ends first.

“period ending two years after the date of the original delivery of a motor vehicle to a consumer, or the first twenty-four thousand miles of operation attributable to a consumer, whichever expires first.”

legis.iowa.gov

Time limit to file

A lawsuit must be filed within one year after the lemon law rights period, or its extension, ends.

“the consumer may file an action in district court under this chapter within one year from the expiration of the lemon law rights period or an extension of the period pursuant to section 322G.4, subsection 3.”

legis.iowa.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 lemon law rights period is the manufacturer's written warranty term, two years after delivery, or the first 24,000 miles, whichever ends first. A lawsuit must be filed within one year after the lemon law rights period, or its extension, ends.
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

After three repair attempts (or one for a serious safety defect), the owner may send written notice by certified or registered mail or overnight service to give the manufacturer a final chance to fix the defect.

“the consumer may give written notification, which shall be by certified or registered mail or by overnight service, to the manufacturer of the need to repair the nonconformity in order to allow the manufacturer a final attempt to cure the nonconformity.”

legis.iowa.gov

Arbitration

The Iowa Attorney General certifies manufacturer dispute programs. If the manufacturer has a certified program and told you how to file, you must use it before you can get a refund or replacement under this law.

“which the attorney general has certified as substantially complying with the provisions of and the rules adopted under this chapter, and has informed the consumer how and where to file a claim with the program pursuant to subsection 1, the provisions of section 322G.4, subsection 2, do not apply”

legis.iowa.gov

What you get

The manufacturer must replace the car or refund the full purchase or lease price, less a reasonable offset for use, and pay all collateral and reasonable incidental charges.

“refund to the consumer or lessor the full purchase or lease price, less a reasonable offset for use. The replacement or refund shall include payment of all collateral and reasonably incurred incidental charges.”

legis.iowa.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 (Iowa Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division), 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 Iowa. 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 Defective Motor Vehicles (Lemon Law) (Iowa Code ch. 322G), 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 Iowa

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 Iowa's lemon law

Find a Iowa lemon law lawyer

Yes. An owner who wins in court is awarded reasonable attorney fees and costs.

“the court shall award a consumer who prevails the amount of any pecuniary loss, including relief the consumer is entitled to under section 322G.4, subsection 2, reasonable attorney's fees, and costs.”

legis.iowa.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 Iowa cases like yours. The firm contacts you, and you decide whether to hire them.

Sources

• Iowa Code ch. 322G, Defective Motor Vehicles (Lemon Law)
• Iowa Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division
• 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.