Español

Florida lemon law: when your car is a lemon and how to claim

In Florida, a new car counts as a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem or 30 days in the shop within the first 24 months. First, send the manufacturer a written notice: the free letter below does it.

Checked against official sources: Oct 22, 2026

24 monthslemon law period
3 triesrepairs for the same problem
30 daysout of service
Requiredarbitration or state process before suing
See the ruledeadline to sue or file
Get your letter ↓

Your next 4 steps in Florida

  1. Keep every repair order

    Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Florida, a car is presumed a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem or 30 days in the shop.

  2. Send the manufacturer a written notice

    After 3 repair attempts for the same defect, send written notice to the manufacturer (not the dealer) by registered or express mail. Write your notice letter ↓

  3. Let the manufacturer make its final repair attempt

    The manufacturer then has 10 days to respond and direct you to a repair shop, and 10 days after you deliver the car (45 days for an RV) to fix it.

  4. Ask for a refund or replacement, use arbitration, or call a lawyer

    Before suing, Florida requires you to go through the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (run by the Office of the Attorney General). See the Arbitration section below for who goes first and the deadlines. If you win, the court can make the manufacturer pay your lawyer (see What you can get), so many lemon law lawyers charge nothing up front.

When a car is a lemon in Florida

Your vehicle is presumed a lemon if, during the first 24 months, (1) the same defect has been repaired at least 3 times, you then sent the manufacturer written notice, the manufacturer got one final repair attempt, and the defect is still there; or (2) the vehicle has been in the shop for repairs of one or more defects for a total of 30 or more days (60 days for an RV), and the manufacturer had at least one chance to inspect or repair it after your 15-day written notice. The defect must substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle.

Period: The Lemon Law rights period is 24 months from the date the vehicle was first delivered to a consumer. There is no mileage limit. You must first report the problem within that period.

Is your car a lemon in Florida? A quick check

Florida: The Lemon Law rights period is 24 months from the date the vehicle was first delivered to a consumer. There is no mileage limit. You must first report the problem within that period.

Fill in what you knowThe result updates as you type.

A rough guide to Florida’s presumption, not legal advice. Even if your car falls short, you may still have a claim under your warranty or federal law.

Notice to the manufacturer

Required. After 3 repair attempts for the same defect, send written notice to the manufacturer (not the dealer) by registered or express mail. The manufacturer then has 10 days to respond and direct you to a repair shop, and 10 days after you deliver the car (45 days for an RV) to fix it. Separately, once the car has been out of service for 15 or more total days, you must notify the manufacturer in writing by registered or express mail and give it one chance to inspect or repair. The Attorney General's optional Motor Vehicle Defect Notification form can be used for both notices.

Write your notice letter below.

Arbitration

Required. Before you can sue, you must submit your dispute to the Attorney General's office and, if it is found eligible, to the state Arbitration Board. If the manufacturer has a state-certified program, you must go there first. Request arbitration no later than 60 days after your 24-month period ends, or 30 days after a certified program's final action, whichever is later. RV buyers use a separate state-qualified RV mediation and arbitration program.

Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (run by the Office of the Attorney General)

Deadline to sue or file in Florida

Request state arbitration within 60 days after the 24-month Lemon Law rights period ends (or 30 days after a certified manufacturer program's final action, whichever is later) (§ 681.109(4)). A lawsuit must be filed within 1 year after the rights period ends, or within 1 year after the final action of the manufacturer program, Attorney General's office or Board (§ 681.112(2)).

What you can get

Your choice of a full refund or a replacement vehicle (you have an unconditional right to choose the refund). The refund covers the full purchase price, including trade-in allowance, plus collateral charges (such as sales tax, title charges, earned finance charges, and dealer-installed items) and incidental costs caused by the defect. The manufacturer deducts a reasonable offset for use: miles you drove before the settlement or hearing, times the base sale price, divided by 120,000 (60,000 for an RV). The manufacturer must repurchase or replace within 40 days. Lessees get back their deposit and lease payments and pay no early-termination penalty.

Attorney fees: If you win a lawsuit under the Lemon Law, the court must award reasonable attorney's fees and litigation costs (§ 681.112); you can also recover fees if a Board decision in your favor is upheld on appeal.

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.

Florida law says to send this notice by registered mail, return receipt requested, or by express mail (Fla. Stat. § 681.104(1)). Keep the receipt.

On your registration, insurance card or the driver’s side of the dashboard. A VIN never uses I, O or Q.

Find it in your warranty booklet or owner's manual (look for 'Customer Assistance').

Other formats

Who to contact

Office
Florida Office of the Attorney General, Lemon Law Arbitration Program (Lemon Law Hotline)
Phone
800-321-5366

Official page · Official lemon law guide

Forms

What the law covers

New vehicles
Yes
Used vehicles
No
Leased vehicles
Yes
Which vehicles
New and demonstrator vehicles sold in Florida, including the driving parts of motor homes (RVs). Not covered: trucks over 10,000 lbs gross vehicle weight, motorcycles, mopeds, electric bicycles, off-road vehicles, and the living quarters of RVs. A lease counts only if it is for 1 year or more and you are responsible for repairs, or if it is a lease-purchase.
Who can claim
The buyer or lessee of a vehicle used mainly for personal, family or household purposes; anyone the vehicle is transferred to for the same purposes during the 24-month Lemon Law rights period; and anyone else entitled to enforce the warranty. Vehicles bought for resale are not covered.

Used cars in Florida

Florida's Lemon Law covers only new and demonstrator vehicles; there is no separate used-car lemon law. A used vehicle may be covered only if it is transferred to you during the original owner's 24-month Lemon Law rights period.

Used car rules in every state

Good to know

  • If a manufacturer refuses to follow an Arbitration Board decision you won and a court upholds it, you get $25 a day for each day after the 40-day compliance deadline, plus attorney's fees; if the manufacturer's appeal was in bad faith, the court must double (and may triple) the award.
  • A returned lemon cannot be resold in Florida unless the defect is clearly disclosed to the buyer and the manufacturer warrants the repair for 1 year or 12,000 miles.
  • Any agreement that waives your Lemon Law rights, or requires you to keep a settlement secret, is void.

Questions about Florida's lemon law

How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Florida?

Your vehicle is presumed a lemon if, during the first 24 months, (1) the same defect has been repaired at least 3 times, you then sent the manufacturer written notice, the manufacturer got one final repair attempt, and the defect is still there; or (2) the vehicle has been in the shop for repairs of one or more defects for a total of 30 or more days (60 days for an RV), and the manufacturer had at least one chance to inspect or repair it after your 15-day written notice. The defect must substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle.

How long does Florida's lemon law cover a car?

The Lemon Law rights period is 24 months from the date the vehicle was first delivered to a consumer. There is no mileage limit. You must first report the problem within that period.

Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Florida?

Required. After 3 repair attempts for the same defect, send written notice to the manufacturer (not the dealer) by registered or express mail. The manufacturer then has 10 days to respond and direct you to a repair shop, and 10 days after you deliver the car (45 days for an RV) to fix it. Separately, once the car has been out of service for 15 or more total days, you must notify the manufacturer in writing by registered or express mail and give it one chance to inspect or repair. The Attorney General's optional Motor Vehicle Defect Notification form can be used for both notices.

Do I have to go to arbitration in Florida?

Before you can sue, you must submit your dispute to the Attorney General's office and, if it is found eligible, to the state Arbitration Board. If the manufacturer has a state-certified program, you must go there first. Request arbitration no later than 60 days after your 24-month period ends, or 30 days after a certified program's final action, whichever is later. RV buyers use a separate state-qualified RV mediation and arbitration program.

What can I get under Florida's lemon law?

Your choice of a full refund or a replacement vehicle (you have an unconditional right to choose the refund). The refund covers the full purchase price, including trade-in allowance, plus collateral charges (such as sales tax, title charges, earned finance charges, and dealer-installed items) and incidental costs caused by the defect. The manufacturer deducts a reasonable offset for use: miles you drove before the settlement or hearing, times the base sale price, divided by 120,000 (60,000 for an RV). The manufacturer must repurchase or replace within 40 days. Lessees get back their deposit and lease payments and pay no early-termination penalty.

Is there a deadline to file a lemon law claim in Florida?

Request state arbitration within 60 days after the 24-month Lemon Law rights period ends (or 30 days after a certified manufacturer program's final action, whichever is later) (§ 681.109(4)). A lawsuit must be filed within 1 year after the rights period ends, or within 1 year after the final action of the manufacturer program, Attorney General's office or Board (§ 681.112(2)).

Does Florida's lemon law cover used cars?

Florida's Lemon Law covers only new and demonstrator vehicles; there is no separate used-car lemon law. A used vehicle may be covered only if it is transferred to you during the original owner's 24-month Lemon Law rights period.

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 law

Sources

Last checked: Oct 22, 2026.

Law: Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act (Florida Lemon Law), Fla. Stat. ch. 681 (§§ 681.10–681.118)

Other states