Washington lemon law: when your car is a lemon and how to claim
In Washington, a new car counts as a lemon after 4 repairs for the same problem, 2 for a serious safety defect or 30 calendar days in the shop within the first 24 months or 24,000 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 Washington
Keep every repair order
Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Washington, a car is presumed a lemon after 4 repairs for the same problem, 2 for a serious safety defect or 30 calendar days in the shop.
Send the manufacturer a written notice
Send the manufacturer a written request to repurchase or replace the vehicle at its corporate, dispute resolution, zone or regional office address (the owner's manual lists these). 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
Before suing, Washington requires you to go through the Washington Lemon Law Administration – New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (Attorney General's Office). 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 Washington
Within the eligibility period, your vehicle qualifies if the same defect has been subject to diagnosis or repair 4 or more times, a serious safety defect 2 or more times, two or more different serious safety defects each once within 12 months, or the vehicle has been out of service a total of 30 calendar days (at least 15 during the warranty). At least one attempt must fall within the warranty, and the problem must still exist. You must then send the manufacturer a written request to repurchase or replace, and it has 40 days to do so. Motor homes have different rules, including a final repair attempt and a 60-day test.
Period: Eligibility period: 2 years from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. At least one repair attempt (or 15 of the 30 days) must fall within the manufacturer's written warranty. You must request arbitration within 30 months of original delivery.
Is your car a lemon in Washington? A quick check
Notice to the manufacturer
Send the manufacturer a written request to repurchase or replace the vehicle at its corporate, dispute resolution, zone or regional office address (the owner's manual lists these). The manufacturer has 40 calendar days to respond before you can win in arbitration.
Arbitration
Required. You must use the state arbitration board, or a qualifying manufacturer program, before going to court (RCW 19.118.080(3)). You file a Request for Arbitration with the Attorney General within 30 months of delivery; a hearing is held within 45 days after your case is assigned and a decision follows within 60 days. You have 60 days to accept or reject the decision; the manufacturer must comply with an accepted decision within 40 days or appeal within 30 days.
Deadline to sue or file in Washington
Request arbitration within 30 months of the vehicle's original retail delivery (RCW 19.118.090(3)). If you reject the decision, you have 120 days to appeal to superior court (RCW 19.118.090(8)).
What you can get
Replacement with an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle, or repurchase: refund of the purchase price, all collateral charges (sales and use tax, unused license, registration and title fees, finance charges, insurance, transportation, dealer prep, service contracts, options) and incidental costs such as towing and alternative transportation, minus a use offset. The offset is miles you drove before the first repair attempt × purchase price ÷ 120,000 (÷ 90,000 for motor homes, ÷ 25,000 for motorcycles). Lessees get back all lease payments, trade-in or inception payment and deposit, minus the offset.
Attorney fees: The board awards reasonable costs and attorney fees when you win and the manufacturer used a lawyer, and you recover attorney fees and costs if you win in superior court after an 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.
Send it by certified mail with return receipt so you have proof, and keep the receipt.
Who to contact
- Office
- Washington Attorney General's Office – Lemon Law Administration
- Phone
- 800-541-8898
Official page · Official lemon law guide
Forms
What the law covers
- New vehicles
- Yes
- Used vehicles
- Yes
- Leased vehicles
- Yes
- Which vehicles
- New self-propelled vehicles, including demonstrators, bought or leased at retail from a dealer or leasing company in Washington. Covers motorcycles of 750cc or more and the vehicle and chassis of motor homes (not the living quarters). Not covered: trucks of 19,000 pounds or more GVWR, and vehicles bought or leased by a business as part of a fleet of 10 or more.
- Who can claim
- The buyer or lessee (not for resale or sublease), and later owners who get the vehicle within the 2-year/24,000-mile eligibility period with the manufacturer's warranty. Military members stationed or living in Washington are covered for a new vehicle bought or leased in another state.
Used cars in Washington
Later owners can use the lemon law if they bought or leased the vehicle within 2 years and 24,000 miles of the original delivery and request arbitration within 30 months, according to the Attorney General.
Good to know
- Repurchased lemons get a branded title, and the next buyer must receive a disclosure form and window notice from the Attorney General (RCW 19.118.061).
- If a manufacturer appeals without good cause or to harass, the court must at least double, and may triple, the award (RCW 19.118.100(3)).
- The law does not let you stop making loan or lease payments while your claim is pending, according to the Attorney General.
Questions about Washington's lemon law
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Washington?
Within the eligibility period, your vehicle qualifies if the same defect has been subject to diagnosis or repair 4 or more times, a serious safety defect 2 or more times, two or more different serious safety defects each once within 12 months, or the vehicle has been out of service a total of 30 calendar days (at least 15 during the warranty). At least one attempt must fall within the warranty, and the problem must still exist. You must then send the manufacturer a written request to repurchase or replace, and it has 40 days to do so. Motor homes have different rules, including a final repair attempt and a 60-day test.
How long does Washington's lemon law cover a car?
Eligibility period: 2 years from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. At least one repair attempt (or 15 of the 30 days) must fall within the manufacturer's written warranty. You must request arbitration within 30 months of original delivery.
Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Washington?
Send the manufacturer a written request to repurchase or replace the vehicle at its corporate, dispute resolution, zone or regional office address (the owner's manual lists these). The manufacturer has 40 calendar days to respond before you can win in arbitration.
Do I have to go to arbitration in Washington?
You must use the state arbitration board, or a qualifying manufacturer program, before going to court (RCW 19.118.080(3)). You file a Request for Arbitration with the Attorney General within 30 months of delivery; a hearing is held within 45 days after your case is assigned and a decision follows within 60 days. You have 60 days to accept or reject the decision; the manufacturer must comply with an accepted decision within 40 days or appeal within 30 days.
What can I get under Washington's lemon law?
Replacement with an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle, or repurchase: refund of the purchase price, all collateral charges (sales and use tax, unused license, registration and title fees, finance charges, insurance, transportation, dealer prep, service contracts, options) and incidental costs such as towing and alternative transportation, minus a use offset. The offset is miles you drove before the first repair attempt × purchase price ÷ 120,000 (÷ 90,000 for motor homes, ÷ 25,000 for motorcycles). Lessees get back all lease payments, trade-in or inception payment and deposit, minus the offset.
Is there a deadline to file a lemon law claim in Washington?
Request arbitration within 30 months of the vehicle's original retail delivery (RCW 19.118.090(3)). If you reject the decision, you have 120 days to appeal to superior court (RCW 19.118.090(8)).
Does Washington's lemon law cover used cars?
Later owners can use the lemon law if they bought or leased the vehicle within 2 years and 24,000 miles of the original delivery and request arbitration within 30 months, according to the Attorney General.
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
- RCW chapter 19.118 – Motor Vehicle Warranties
- Washington AG – Lemon Law
- Washington AG – General Lemon Law
- Washington AG – Request for Arbitration form
Last checked: Oct 22, 2026.
Law: Motor Vehicle Warranties Act (Washington Lemon Law), RCW ch. 19.118