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

In Missouri, a new car counts as a lemon after 4 repairs for the same problem or 30 working 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

12 monthslemon law period
4 triesrepairs for the same problem
30 working daysout of service
Maybecheck your warranty booklet for an arbitration program (e.g. BBB AUTO LINE)
See the ruledeadline to sue or file
Get your letter ↓

Your next 4 steps in Missouri

  1. Keep every repair order

    Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Missouri, a car is presumed a lemon after 4 repairs for the same problem or 30 working days in the shop.

  2. Send the manufacturer a written notice

    Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect (10 calendar days after you deliver the vehicle to the repair shop it names). Write your notice letter ↓

  3. Let the manufacturer make its final repair attempt

    Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect (10 calendar days after you deliver the vehicle to the repair shop it names).

  4. 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. 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 Missouri

Within the warranty term or the first year (whichever ends first), your vehicle is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired 4 or more times and still exists, or if it has been out of service for repair of the defect for a total of 30 or more working days (not counting routine maintenance). Before you can use the law, you must notify the manufacturer in writing; it then directs you to a franchised dealer's repair shop and gets a final 10 calendar days after you deliver the vehicle to fix it.

Period: The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery to you, whichever ends first. It can be extended if a reported problem has not been fixed by then.

Is your car a lemon in Missouri? A quick check

Missouri: The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery to you, whichever ends first. It can be extended if a reported problem has not been fixed by then.

Count only working days, as Missouri’s law does.

Fill in what you knowThe result updates as you type.

A rough guide to Missouri’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

Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect (10 calendar days after you deliver the vehicle to the repair shop it names). The statute does not require a specific mailing method; certified mail with a return receipt is a sensible way to prove it.

Write your notice letter below.

Arbitration

Maybe — check your warranty booklet for an arbitration program (e.g. BBB AUTO LINE). If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program that fully complies with federal rules (16 C.F.R. Part 703), you must use it before you can claim a refund or replacement; the manufacturer must tell you about it. Missouri has no state-run lemon arbitration. If you use the program, you have 90 days after its final action to sue.

Deadline to sue or file in Missouri

You must sue within 6 months after the express warranty ends or within 18 months after original delivery, whichever is earlier; if you used the manufacturer's dispute program, within 90 days after its final action (§ 407.573.3).

What you can get

The manufacturer, at its option, must either replace the vehicle with a comparable new vehicle acceptable to you, or take it back and refund the full purchase price plus reasonable collateral charges (sales tax, license, registration and title fees, and inspections), minus a reasonable allowance for your use. The use allowance applies to replacements as well as refunds; the statute gives no formula. The manufacturer may instead have you apply to the Department of Revenue for the refund of sales tax and fees.

Attorney fees: If you complied with the law and finally win in court, the court must award your costs and expenses, including attorney fees based on actual time spent (§ 407.577.1). But you may have to pay the manufacturer's fees if your claim was in bad faith or your final recovery is not at least 10% more than the manufacturer's pre-suit settlement offer (§ 407.577.2).

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.

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
Missouri Attorney General's Office, Consumer Protection Division
Phone
800-392-8222

Official page

What the law covers

New vehicles
Yes
Used vehicles
No
Leased vehicles
Not specified
Which vehicles
New motor vehicles sold for the first time by a franchised dealer and never before registered or titled, including demonstrators and lease-purchase vehicles sold with a manufacturer's warranty. Not covered: commercial motor vehicles, off-road vehicles, mopeds, electric bicycles, motorcycles, and recreational motor vehicles (except their chassis, engine, powertrain and component parts).
Who can claim
The buyer (not for resale) of a new vehicle used mainly for personal, family or household purposes; anyone the vehicle is transferred to for the same purposes while the express warranty still applies; and anyone else entitled to enforce the warranty.

Used cars in Missouri

Missouri's lemon law covers only new vehicles, but it includes demonstrators sold with a manufacturer's warranty and later owners who receive the vehicle while the warranty is still in effect.

Used car rules in every state

Good to know

  • Turning down a fair settlement is risky: if your final court recovery is not at least 10% more than the manufacturer's settlement offer made before you sued, you can be ordered to pay the manufacturer's costs and attorney fees (§ 407.577.2).
  • The deadline to sue is short: as little as 6 months after the warranty ends, and never more than 18 months after delivery unless you used arbitration (§ 407.573.3).
  • Manufacturers must include information on complaint remedies with every new vehicle (§ 407.573.2).

Questions about Missouri's lemon law

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

Within the warranty term or the first year (whichever ends first), your vehicle is presumed a lemon if the same defect has been repaired 4 or more times and still exists, or if it has been out of service for repair of the defect for a total of 30 or more working days (not counting routine maintenance). Before you can use the law, you must notify the manufacturer in writing; it then directs you to a franchised dealer's repair shop and gets a final 10 calendar days after you deliver the vehicle to fix it.

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

The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery to you, whichever ends first. It can be extended if a reported problem has not been fixed by then.

Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Missouri?

Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect (10 calendar days after you deliver the vehicle to the repair shop it names). The statute does not require a specific mailing method; certified mail with a return receipt is a sensible way to prove it.

Do I have to go to arbitration in Missouri?

If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program that fully complies with federal rules (16 C.F.R. Part 703), you must use it before you can claim a refund or replacement; the manufacturer must tell you about it. Missouri has no state-run lemon arbitration. If you use the program, you have 90 days after its final action to sue.

What can I get under Missouri's lemon law?

The manufacturer, at its option, must either replace the vehicle with a comparable new vehicle acceptable to you, or take it back and refund the full purchase price plus reasonable collateral charges (sales tax, license, registration and title fees, and inspections), minus a reasonable allowance for your use. The use allowance applies to replacements as well as refunds; the statute gives no formula. The manufacturer may instead have you apply to the Department of Revenue for the refund of sales tax and fees.

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

You must sue within 6 months after the express warranty ends or within 18 months after original delivery, whichever is earlier; if you used the manufacturer's dispute program, within 90 days after its final action (§ 407.573.3).

Does Missouri's lemon law cover used cars?

Missouri's lemon law covers only new vehicles, but it includes demonstrators sold with a manufacturer's warranty and later owners who receive the vehicle while the warranty is still in effect.

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: Missouri Lemon Law (New Motor Vehicle Warranties), Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.560–407.579

Other states