Nebraska lemon law: when your car is a lemon and how to claim
In Nebraska, a new car counts as a lemon after 4 repairs for the same problem or 40 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 Nebraska
Keep every repair order
Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Nebraska, a car is presumed a lemon after 4 repairs for the same problem or 40 days in the shop.
Send the manufacturer a written notice
Send the manufacturer direct written notice of the defect by certified mail, and give it a chance to fix it. Write your notice letter ↓
Let the manufacturer make its final repair attempt
If the manufacturer asks for one more repair after your notice, take the car in and get a repair order.
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 Nebraska
Your vehicle is presumed a lemon if, within the warranty term or 1 year from delivery (whichever ends first), the same defect has been repaired 4 or more times and is still there, or the vehicle has been out of service for repairs for a total of 40 or more days. The defect must substantially impair the vehicle's use and market value. The presumption only applies after the manufacturer has received direct written notice from you by certified mail and has had a chance to fix the defect.
Period: The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery, whichever ends first
Is your car a lemon in Nebraska? A quick check
Notice to the manufacturer
Send the manufacturer direct written notice of the defect by certified mail, and give it a chance to fix it. Without this, the lemon presumption does not apply. Your owner's manual or the manufacturer's website may list the address.
Arbitration
Maybe — check your warranty booklet for an arbitration program (e.g. BBB AUTO LINE). If the manufacturer has or takes part in a dispute program certified by the Director of Motor Vehicles, you must use it first before you can claim a refund or replacement. There is no state-run arbitration. The Attorney General says a decision should come within 40 days, and if you are not satisfied you may sue.
Deadline to sue or file in Nebraska
File suit within 1 year after the express warranty expires or 2 years after original delivery, whichever is earlier (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2706).
What you can get
The manufacturer must replace the vehicle with a comparable one, or take it back and refund the full purchase price, including sales taxes, license fees, registration fees and similar government charges. It may deduct a reasonable allowance for use by you (and any earlier owner) before you first reported the defect, and while the vehicle was not out of service for repair. The refund is split between you and any lender.
Attorney fees: If you win a lemon law case, the court must award you reasonable attorney's fees (§ 60-2707).
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.
Nebraska law says to send this notice by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep the receipt.
Who to contact
- Office
- Nebraska Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division
- Phone
- 402-471-2785
What the law covers
- New vehicles
- Yes
- Used vehicles
- No
- Leased vehicles
- Not specified
- Which vehicles
- New motor vehicles sold in Nebraska. Recreational vehicles (motor vehicles designed for living quarters) are excluded. The Attorney General's guide also says trailers and self-propelled mobile homes are not covered.
- Who can claim
- The buyer (not for resale) of a vehicle normally used for personal, family, household or business purposes; anyone the vehicle is transferred to for those purposes while the express warranty still runs; and anyone else the warranty lets enforce it.
Used cars in Nebraska
Nebraska's lemon law covers new vehicles only; the Attorney General says it does not apply to vehicles sold as used and that Nebraska has no 3-day right to cancel a car purchase. Used cars sold 'as is' come with no warranty, and complaints about dealers go to the Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board.
Good to know
- Business-use vehicles can qualify: the definition of consumer covers vehicles normally used for personal, family, household or business purposes (§ 60-2701).
- The Nebraska DMV warns that service contracts and extended warranties do not extend your lemon law rights.
Questions about Nebraska's lemon law
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Nebraska?
Your vehicle is presumed a lemon if, within the warranty term or 1 year from delivery (whichever ends first), the same defect has been repaired 4 or more times and is still there, or the vehicle has been out of service for repairs for a total of 40 or more days. The defect must substantially impair the vehicle's use and market value. The presumption only applies after the manufacturer has received direct written notice from you by certified mail and has had a chance to fix the defect.
How long does Nebraska's lemon law cover a car?
The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery, whichever ends first
Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Nebraska?
Send the manufacturer direct written notice of the defect by certified mail, and give it a chance to fix it. Without this, the lemon presumption does not apply. Your owner's manual or the manufacturer's website may list the address.
Do I have to go to arbitration in Nebraska?
If the manufacturer has or takes part in a dispute program certified by the Director of Motor Vehicles, you must use it first before you can claim a refund or replacement. There is no state-run arbitration. The Attorney General says a decision should come within 40 days, and if you are not satisfied you may sue.
What can I get under Nebraska's lemon law?
The manufacturer must replace the vehicle with a comparable one, or take it back and refund the full purchase price, including sales taxes, license fees, registration fees and similar government charges. It may deduct a reasonable allowance for use by you (and any earlier owner) before you first reported the defect, and while the vehicle was not out of service for repair. The refund is split between you and any lender.
Is there a deadline to file a lemon law claim in Nebraska?
File suit within 1 year after the express warranty expires or 2 years after original delivery, whichever is earlier (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2706).
Does Nebraska's lemon law cover used cars?
Nebraska's lemon law covers new vehicles only; the Attorney General says it does not apply to vehicles sold as used and that Nebraska has no 3-day right to cancel a car purchase. Used cars sold 'as is' come with no warranty, and complaints about dealers go to the Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board.
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
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2701 Terms, defined
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2704 Presumption; term of warranty
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2705 Dispute settlement procedure
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-2706 Statute of limitations
- Nebraska Attorney General - Auto Fraud and Lemon Law
- Nebraska DMV - Lemon Law
Last checked: Oct 22, 2026.
Law: Nebraska Lemon Law (motor vehicle express warranties), Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 60-2701 to 60-2709