Michigan lemon law help when your car keeps failing
Statute reviewed Sep 11, 2026
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A real person answers day or night, reviews your repair history for free, and hands your case to a lemon law attorney.
Is your car back in a Michigan repair shop again, costing you time, money, and trust in the road? Call with the repair orders in hand; the review costs nothing, and the fee is zero unless you win.
- Repair visits for one problem
- 4
- Days in the shop, added up
- 30days
- First failure within
- 24months
How many repair visits count in Michigan?
Michigan counts 4 repair visits for the same defect under Michigan's lemon law. Tell the service writer when a defect feels unsafe, and make sure it is on the order. Get a written repair order every time, even when the dealer says nothing was found.
How many days in the shop?
The other test is time in the shop: 30 days in total, and they do not have to be in a row. Write the drop-off date and the pick-up date on every visit. The repair log adds the days up for you.
The problem must first show up within 24 months, per the Michigan rule. A car delivered on January 1, 2025 leaves that window on January 1, 2027. The window is when the defect must first appear; the deadline to file is a separate clock, and your attorney checks both on the call.
The time limit to file, in Michigan's own words: 4 years.
Michigan also asks for written notice to the carmaker. In the state's words: written notice by return receipt service. Your attorney sends it the right way.
Does Michigan lemon law cover used cars?
In Michigan, a used car is covered only if the maker's warranty still covered it when you bought or leased it. A used car sold with a written warranty can also go under the federal warranty law in every state.
What Michigan lemon law gives you back
You can get a refund or a comparable replacement car. A refund has a fair charge for your miles and any appraised damage taken off. Your attorney works out the refund from your contract.
Who pays your Michigan lemon law attorney?
The federal warranty law lets an owner who wins recover reasonable attorney fees. That is why the case review is free and there is no fee unless you win. More on what a lemon law lawyer costs. No. The federal warranty law lets a court make the carmaker pay your attorney when you win, so the case review is free and there is no fee unless you win. Get a repair order anyway. It still shows the date, the mileage and your complaint, and that is what an attorney counts. Every repair order, the sales or lease contract and the warranty booklet. The lemon law repair log puts the visits on one page.Questions owners ask
Does Michigan lemon law cost me anything?
What if the Michigan dealer says nothing was found?
What should I have ready when I call?
Statutes and data
What to do now
Your first step is to call with every repair order in hand. Michigan only counts defects that first show up within 24 months of delivery, so waiting can cost you.
Free Michigan case review. No fee unless you win. Answered day and night.