Massachusetts lemon law: when your car is a lemon and how to claim
In Massachusetts, a new car counts as a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem or 15 business days in the shop within the first 12 months or 15,000 miles. 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 Massachusetts
Keep every repair order
Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Massachusetts, a car is presumed a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem or 15 business days in the shop.
Send the manufacturer a written notice
The state guide says you must give the manufacturer one final repair opportunity by letter (and email if possible) to its regional office; certified mail, return receipt requested, plus regular mail is recommended, and you may send it after the term of protection ends. Write your notice letter ↓
Let the manufacturer make its final repair attempt
The 7-business-day final chance starts when the manufacturer knows or should know the repair limits were met.
Ask for a refund or replacement, use arbitration, or call a lawyer
Arbitration is optional in Massachusetts. See the Arbitration section below. 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 Massachusetts
Within 1 year or 15,000 miles, your vehicle is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired 3 or more times and still exists or comes back, or if the vehicle has been out of service for repair for a total of 15 or more business days. The manufacturer then gets one final chance to fix it, lasting no more than 7 business days, which can happen after the term of protection ends. The defect must substantially impair the vehicle's use, market value or safety; the state guide says market-value impairment means the car is worth at least 10% less because of the defect.
Period: The "term of protection": 1 year or 15,000 miles from the original delivery of the new vehicle, whichever comes first (a replacement vehicle gets a new term).
Is your car a lemon in Massachusetts? A quick check
Notice to the manufacturer
The state guide says you must give the manufacturer one final repair opportunity by letter (and email if possible) to its regional office; certified mail, return receipt requested, plus regular mail is recommended, and you may send it after the term of protection ends. The 7-business-day final chance starts when the manufacturer knows or should know the repair limits were met. You do not have to notify the manufacturer directly before applying for state arbitration.
Arbitration
Optional. Arbitration is optional. Manufacturers must take part in state arbitration if you apply online within 18 months of delivery (6 months for used cars); there is no application fee, but you pay a $300 arbitrator fee once a hearing is scheduled, which is added to your award if you win. A decision issues within about 45 days, and the manufacturer must pay or appeal within 21 days.
Massachusetts Lemon Law Arbitration Program (Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation)
Deadline to sue or file in Massachusetts
State arbitration must be requested within 18 months of delivery for new or leased vehicles (6 months for used vehicles). Section 7N½ sets no separate lawsuit deadline.
What you can get
The manufacturer must take the vehicle back and refund the full contract price, including trade-in credits, plus sales tax, registration fee, finance charges, dealer-added options, and towing and rental costs caused by the defect, minus any cash settlement you accepted and a use allowance. Use allowance = contract price × miles driven before return ÷ 100,000 (÷ 25,000 for motorcycles). For a lease, you get back all lease payments made, minus the same kind of allowance. The manufacturer may offer a replacement instead, but you can always refuse it and demand a refund.
Attorney fees: A consumer who prevails after a manufacturer appeals a state arbitration award must be awarded reasonable attorney fees and costs, and violations of the lemon law are unfair practices under ch. 93A, which also allows fee awards.
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.
Send it by certified mail with return receipt so you have proof, and keep the receipt.
Who to contact
- Office
- Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR), Lemon Law Program
- Phone
- 617-973-8787
Official page · Official lemon law guide
Forms
What the law covers
- New vehicles
- Yes
- Used vehicles
- Yes
- Leased vehicles
- Yes
- Which vehicles
- New cars, motorcycles, vans and trucks bought or leased from a dealer in Massachusetts. Not covered: motor homes ("auto homes"), vehicles built mainly for off-road use, and vehicles used mainly for business purposes. Used vehicles bought from dealers are covered by a separate used-vehicle warranty law (motorcycles excluded there).
- Who can claim
- A buyer or lessee (not for resale); anyone the vehicle is transferred to while an express or implied warranty still applies; and anyone else entitled to enforce the warranty. The state guide describes covered vehicles as bought or leased for personal or family purposes.
Used cars in Massachusetts
Dealers must give a written warranty on used cars (90 days/3,750 miles for under 40,000 miles; 60 days/2,500 miles for 40,000–79,999; 30 days/1,250 miles for 80,000–124,999). If the dealer cannot fix the same defect in 3 tries or the car is out of service more than 10 business days, the dealer must buy it back, minus 15 cents a mile.
Good to know
- If a manufacturer misses the 21-day deadline to pay or appeal a state arbitration award, it faces a fine of $5,000 per day (up to $50,000), and you can get at least double damages (ch. 90, § 7N½(7)-(8)).
- A manufacturer that appeals must post a bond equal to the award plus $2,500 for your attorney fees; a frivolous appeal doubles your award (ch. 90, § 7N½(6)).
- You can keep driving the car until you receive a full refund or an acceptable replacement (ch. 90, § 7N½(3)).
Questions about Massachusetts's lemon law
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Massachusetts?
Within 1 year or 15,000 miles, your vehicle is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired 3 or more times and still exists or comes back, or if the vehicle has been out of service for repair for a total of 15 or more business days. The manufacturer then gets one final chance to fix it, lasting no more than 7 business days, which can happen after the term of protection ends. The defect must substantially impair the vehicle's use, market value or safety; the state guide says market-value impairment means the car is worth at least 10% less because of the defect.
How long does Massachusetts's lemon law cover a car?
The "term of protection": 1 year or 15,000 miles from the original delivery of the new vehicle, whichever comes first (a replacement vehicle gets a new term).
Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Massachusetts?
The state guide says you must give the manufacturer one final repair opportunity by letter (and email if possible) to its regional office; certified mail, return receipt requested, plus regular mail is recommended, and you may send it after the term of protection ends. The 7-business-day final chance starts when the manufacturer knows or should know the repair limits were met. You do not have to notify the manufacturer directly before applying for state arbitration.
Do I have to go to arbitration in Massachusetts?
Arbitration is optional. Manufacturers must take part in state arbitration if you apply online within 18 months of delivery (6 months for used cars); there is no application fee, but you pay a $300 arbitrator fee once a hearing is scheduled, which is added to your award if you win. A decision issues within about 45 days, and the manufacturer must pay or appeal within 21 days.
What can I get under Massachusetts's lemon law?
The manufacturer must take the vehicle back and refund the full contract price, including trade-in credits, plus sales tax, registration fee, finance charges, dealer-added options, and towing and rental costs caused by the defect, minus any cash settlement you accepted and a use allowance. Use allowance = contract price × miles driven before return ÷ 100,000 (÷ 25,000 for motorcycles). For a lease, you get back all lease payments made, minus the same kind of allowance. The manufacturer may offer a replacement instead, but you can always refuse it and demand a refund.
Is there a deadline to file a lemon law claim in Massachusetts?
State arbitration must be requested within 18 months of delivery for new or leased vehicles (6 months for used vehicles). Section 7N½ sets no separate lawsuit deadline.
Does Massachusetts's lemon law cover used cars?
Yes. Dealers must give a written warranty on used cars (90 days/3,750 miles for under 40,000 miles; 60 days/2,500 miles for 40,000–79,999; 30 days/1,250 miles for 80,000–124,999). If the dealer cannot fix the same defect in 3 tries or the car is out of service more than 10 business days, the dealer must buy it back, minus 15 cents a mile.
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
- M.G.L. c. 90, § 7N½ – Defective new motor vehicles
- M.G.L. c. 90, § 7N¼ – Used motor vehicle warranties
- Mass.gov – Guide to New and Leased Car Lemon Law
- Mass.gov – Apply for Lemon Law Arbitration
- Mass.gov – Lemon Laws (OCABR topic page)
Last checked: Oct 22, 2026.
Law: Massachusetts Lemon Law (new and leased vehicles); Used Vehicle Warranty Law, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 7N½ (new and leased); ch. 90, § 7N¼ (used)