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Lemon law in New Hampshire
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New Motor Vehicle Arbitration, N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. ch. 357-D. A new vehicle is presumed a lemon in New Hampshire when, during the protection period, the same defect was repaired 3 or more times without a fix, or it was out of service for repairs 30 or more days in total. Leased vehicles are covered. Used vehicles are covered only in some cases.
At a glance
| Protection period | See below |
|---|---|
| Repair attempts, same defect | 3 |
| Attempts, serious safety defect | Not set |
| Days out of service | 30 |
| Used vehicles | Some |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| State arbitration program | Yes |
| Time limit to file | Within one year after the express warranty ends or after the manufacturer's final repair attempt, whichever is later |
Who qualifies
Which vehicles
Passenger cars, station wagons and other four-wheel vehicles with a gross weight of 11,000 pounds or less, plus motorcycles, off-highway recreational vehicles and snowmobiles. Tractors and mopeds are excluded, and government buyers are not covered.
“Any other 4-wheel motor vehicle with a gross weight not exceeding 11,000 pounds, except tractors, and mopeds; or (c) Motorcycles; or (d) Any off highway recreational vehicle as defined in RSA 215-A:1, VI.”
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Repair attempts
The car is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired at least 3 times within the warranty term and still exists. Each attempt must be shown by a written repair order.
“The same nonconformity as identified in any written examination or repair order has been subject to repair at least 3 times by the manufacturer, it agent, or authorized dealer within the express warranty term and the same nonconformity continues to exist”
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Serious safety defects
The law does not say.
Days out of service
The car is presumed a lemon if it is out of service for repairs a total of 30 or more business days during the warranty term.
“The vehicle is out of service by reason of repair of one or more nonconformities, defects, or conditions for a cumulative total of 30 or more business days during the term of the express warranty.”
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Used vehicles
Only partly. The law covers vehicles still under the manufacturer's express warranty, and anyone the vehicle is transferred to during the warranty counts as a consumer. New Hampshire has no separate used car lemon law in this chapter.
“any person to whom such motor vehicle is transferred during the duration of an express warranty applicable to the motor vehicle”
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Leased vehicles
Yes, for written leases of 2 years or more. The lessee gets back deposits and lease payments, minus a use deduction, and the lease ends.
“"Lessee" means any consumer who leases a motor vehicle pursuant to a written lease agreement for a term of 2 or more years.”
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Deadlines
Protection period
Protection lasts for the term of the manufacturer's express warranty. A defect reported during the warranty must be repaired even if the repair happens after the warranty ends.
“the manufacturer shall cause whatever repairs are necessary to conform the vehicle to the warranties, notwithstanding the fact that the repairs are made after the expiration of a warranty term”
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Time limit to file
A claim must be started within one year after the express warranty ends or after the manufacturer's final repair attempt, whichever is later.
“Any proceeding initiated under the provisions of this chapter shall be commenced within one year following the later of: (a) The expiration of the express warranty term; or”
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Steps
- 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.
- Check the dates. Protection lasts for the term of the manufacturer's express warranty. A defect reported during the warranty must be repaired even if the repair happens after the warranty ends. A claim must be started within one year after the express warranty ends or after the manufacturer's final repair attempt, whichever is later.
- Tell the manufacturer in writing. The law asks for written notice. See written notice below.
- Use the dispute program if one is required. See arbitration below for whether you must go there before court.
- 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 the third repair attempt or 30 days out of service, the owner must notify the manufacturer and the lessor in writing, on the manufacturer's form. The manufacturer then gets one final chance to repair the defect before the arbitration hearing.
“Within the 40-day period set forth in paragraph IV, the manufacturer shall have one final opportunity to correct and repair the defect which the consumer claims entitles him to a refund or replacement vehicle.”
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Arbitration
In the written notice the owner chooses either the manufacturer's dispute program or the state's New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, and the choice rules out the other. The board charges the owner a $50 filing fee and holds a hearing within 40 days.
“The consumer's election of whether to proceed before the board or the manufacturer's dispute settlement mechanism shall preclude his recourse to the method not selected.”
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What you get
The owner chooses a comparable new replacement or a refund of the full purchase price, including trade-in credit, fees, finance charges and incidental costs. A use deduction is taken only for miles driven before the first repair attempt.
“A reasonable allowance for use shall be that amount directly attributable to use by the consumer prior to the first repair attempt”
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Do it yourself
You can bring a lemon law claim without a lawyer. It takes letters, records and patience. The usual route:
- Put your repair orders in date order and count the attempts and the days out of service.
- Send the manufacturer the letter below, by a tracked method, to the address in your owner's manual or warranty booklet.
- If it offers a final repair, let it try within the time the law gives it.
- If it refuses or does not answer, file with the manufacturer's dispute program or the state program (New Hampshire New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (Department of Safety)), then court if you need to.
- Do not sell or trade in the vehicle while the claim is open.
Letter template for New Hampshire
[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 New Hampshire. 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 New Motor Vehicle Arbitration (N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. ch. 357-D), 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 New Hampshire
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.
Questions people ask about New Hampshire's lemon law
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in New Hampshire?
The car is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired at least 3 times within the warranty term and still exists. Each attempt must be shown by a written repair order.
How many days in the shop make a car a lemon in New Hampshire?
The car is presumed a lemon if it is out of service for repairs a total of 30 or more business days during the warranty term.
How long does New Hampshire's lemon law cover a car?
Protection lasts for the term of the manufacturer's express warranty. A defect reported during the warranty must be repaired even if the repair happens after the warranty ends.
Which vehicles does New Hampshire's lemon law cover?
Passenger cars, station wagons and other four-wheel vehicles with a gross weight of 11,000 pounds or less, plus motorcycles, off-highway recreational vehicles and snowmobiles. Tractors and mopeds are excluded, and government buyers are not covered.
Does New Hampshire's lemon law cover used cars?
Only partly. The law covers vehicles still under the manufacturer's express warranty, and anyone the vehicle is transferred to during the warranty counts as a consumer. New Hampshire has no separate used car lemon law in this chapter.
Does New Hampshire's lemon law cover leased cars?
Yes, for written leases of 2 years or more. The lessee gets back deposits and lease payments, minus a use deduction, and the lease ends.
Do I have to tell the manufacturer in writing?
After the third repair attempt or 30 days out of service, the owner must notify the manufacturer and the lessor in writing, on the manufacturer's form. The manufacturer then gets one final chance to repair the defect before the arbitration hearing.
Do I have to go to arbitration before court?
In the written notice the owner chooses either the manufacturer's dispute program or the state's New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, and the choice rules out the other. The board charges the owner a $50 filing fee and holds a hearing within 40 days.
How long do I have to file a lemon law claim in New Hampshire?
A claim must be started within one year after the express warranty ends or after the manufacturer's final repair attempt, whichever is later.
What do I get if my car is a lemon in New Hampshire?
The owner chooses a comparable new replacement or a refund of the full purchase price, including trade-in credit, fees, finance charges and incidental costs. A use deduction is taken only for miles driven before the first repair attempt.
How much is taken off a buyback for the miles I drove?
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.
Who pays the lawyer in a New Hampshire lemon law case?
In a lawsuit against the manufacturer over a broken warranty, the court may award the owner costs and reasonable attorney fees. In New Hampshire, an owner who wins can make the maker pay the lawyer.
Can I keep driving my car during a lemon law claim?
Usually, yes. Keep it maintained and insured, and do not sell or trade it in while the claim is open: a buyback needs the car. If the defect makes it unsafe, stop driving it and tell the dealer and the maker in writing.
Do I need a lawyer for a lemon law claim?
No. You can bring a claim yourself. The steps and a letter template are on this page. A lawyer knows what makers offer in cases like yours and what the use deduction should be. In New Hampshire, an owner who wins can make the maker pay the lawyer.
Find a New Hampshire lemon law lawyer
In a lawsuit against the manufacturer over a broken warranty, the court may award the owner costs and reasonable attorney fees.
“the court, in its discretion, may award to the plaintiff costs and reasonable attorney's fees”
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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 New Hampshire cases like yours. The firm contacts you, and you decide whether to hire them.
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Who pays the lawyer? In New Hampshire, an owner who wins can make the maker pay the lawyer.* * So most lemon law lawyers ask nothing up front. Some charge costs, or a share of a settlement: ask before you sign. You never pay us. More
Sources
- N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. ch. 357-D, New Motor Vehicle Arbitration
- New Hampshire New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (Department of Safety)
- 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.