Alaska lemon law: when your car is a lemon and how to claim
In Alaska, a new car counts as a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem or 30 business days in the shop within the first 12 months. First, send the manufacturer a written notice: the free letter below does it.
Checked against official sources: Oct 22, 2026
Your next 4 steps in Alaska
Keep every repair order
Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Alaska, a car is presumed a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem or 30 business days in the shop.
Send the manufacturer a written notice
To claim a refund or replacement, send written notice by certified mail to the manufacturer and to its dealer or repair shop. Write your notice letter ↓
Let the manufacturer make its final repair attempt
After your notice, the manufacturer has 30 days to make one final repair attempt.
Ask for a refund or replacement, use arbitration, or call a lawyer
If your manufacturer has a dispute program that meets the state’s rules (check your warranty booklet), you may have to use it first. See the Arbitration section below.
When a car is a lemon in Alaska
Within the warranty term or 1 year from delivery (whichever ends first), your car is presumed a lemon if: (1) the same defect was repaired 3 or more times and still exists; or (2) the car was out of service for repairs a total of 30 or more business days (delays beyond the manufacturer's or dealer's control, like strikes or natural disasters, do not count). The defect must substantially impair the car's use or market value. After your notice, the manufacturer has 30 days to make one final repair attempt.
Period: The term of the manufacturer's express warranty or 1 year from delivery to the original owner, whichever ends first. There is no mileage limit in the law itself.
Is your car a lemon in Alaska? A quick check
Notice to the manufacturer
To claim a refund or replacement, send written notice by certified mail to the manufacturer and to its dealer or repair shop. Send it no later than 60 days after the warranty or the 1-year period ends, whichever ends first. The notice must say the car has a defect, describe it, say a reasonable number of repair attempts have been made, and demand a refund or replacement on the 60th day after you mail it. The Attorney General also advises including the year, make, model, VIN, and your name, address, and phone number.
Arbitration
Maybe — check your warranty booklet for an arbitration program (e.g. BBB AUTO LINE). Alaska has no state-run program. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program (or offers arbitration or mediation after your notice) that is binding on the manufacturer but not on you and is approved by the Attorney General, you must use it first to get a refund or replacement. If the program is not approved, you may skip it and go to court.
What you can get
Your choice of a new comparable vehicle or a refund of the full purchase price, which includes costs added to the retail price such as original registration fees, transportation fees, dealer preparation, and dealer-installed options. The manufacturer may subtract a reasonable allowance for your use, capped at straight-line depreciation over 7 years for the time you had the car, plus depreciation from owner neglect or abuse or body damage not caused by the defect. The manufacturer must also repay reasonable costs of shipping the car to and from the nearest authorized repair facility. According to the Attorney General, a refund does not include finance charges.
Attorney fees: The lemon law itself does not provide for attorney fees; a manufacturer that wrongly refuses a refund or replacement is presumed to have committed an unfair trade practice under AS 45.50.471, which may open other remedies.
Free lemon law notice letter
Most states require you to tell the manufacturer in writing and give it a last chance to fix the car. Fill this in, download the letter, sign it and mail it to the manufacturer. Keep a copy.
Alaska law says to send this notice by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep the receipt.
Who to contact
- Office
- Alaska Department of Law, Consumer Protection Unit
- Phone
- 907-269-5200
What the law covers
- New vehicles
- Yes
- Used vehicles
- No
- Leased vehicles
- Not specified
- Which vehicles
- New land vehicles with four or more wheels that must be registered in Alaska and are normally used for personal, family, or household purposes. Tractors, farm vehicles, and vehicles designed mainly for off-road use are excluded. Because the law requires four or more wheels, motorcycles are not covered.
- Who can claim
- The buyer of a new vehicle (not a dealer buying for resale), and anyone the vehicle is later transferred to under Alaska's title laws.
Used cars in Alaska
The Attorney General says the lemon law does not apply to used vehicles.
Good to know
- A manufacturer that fails to refund or replace when required is presumed to have committed an unfair trade practice under Alaska's consumer protection act (AS 45.45.330).
- A returned lemon may be resold in Alaska only with full disclosure of why it was returned (AS 45.45.335).
- Alaska has a separate lemon law for boats and ATVs (AS 45.27.190 – 45.27.220), per the Attorney General.
Questions about Alaska's lemon law
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Alaska?
Within the warranty term or 1 year from delivery (whichever ends first), your car is presumed a lemon if: (1) the same defect was repaired 3 or more times and still exists; or (2) the car was out of service for repairs a total of 30 or more business days (delays beyond the manufacturer's or dealer's control, like strikes or natural disasters, do not count). The defect must substantially impair the car's use or market value. After your notice, the manufacturer has 30 days to make one final repair attempt.
How long does Alaska's lemon law cover a car?
The term of the manufacturer's express warranty or 1 year from delivery to the original owner, whichever ends first. There is no mileage limit in the law itself.
Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Alaska?
To claim a refund or replacement, send written notice by certified mail to the manufacturer and to its dealer or repair shop. Send it no later than 60 days after the warranty or the 1-year period ends, whichever ends first. The notice must say the car has a defect, describe it, say a reasonable number of repair attempts have been made, and demand a refund or replacement on the 60th day after you mail it. The Attorney General also advises including the year, make, model, VIN, and your name, address, and phone number.
Do I have to go to arbitration in Alaska?
Alaska has no state-run program. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program (or offers arbitration or mediation after your notice) that is binding on the manufacturer but not on you and is approved by the Attorney General, you must use it first to get a refund or replacement. If the program is not approved, you may skip it and go to court.
What can I get under Alaska's lemon law?
Your choice of a new comparable vehicle or a refund of the full purchase price, which includes costs added to the retail price such as original registration fees, transportation fees, dealer preparation, and dealer-installed options. The manufacturer may subtract a reasonable allowance for your use, capped at straight-line depreciation over 7 years for the time you had the car, plus depreciation from owner neglect or abuse or body damage not caused by the defect. The manufacturer must also repay reasonable costs of shipping the car to and from the nearest authorized repair facility. According to the Attorney General, a refund does not include finance charges.
Does Alaska's lemon law cover used cars?
The Attorney General says the lemon law does not apply to used vehicles.
Car not covered, or the period has passed? Federal warranty law may still help, and small claims court can handle smaller repair bills.
Federal warranty lawSources
- Alaska Stat. §§ 45.45.300 – 45.45.360 (text as reproduced by the Center for Auto Safety)
- Alaska Department of Law – Alaska's Lemon Law
- Alaska Department of Law – Consumer Protection Unit
Last checked: Oct 22, 2026.
Law: Alaska Motor Vehicle Warranties Act (Alaska Lemon Law), Alaska Stat. §§ 45.45.300 – 45.45.360