Washington lemon law help when your new car keeps failing
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A real person answers day or night, reviews your repair history for free, and a lemon law attorney takes it from there.
Your new car keeps going back to the shop in Washington, and you fear you are stuck with a lemon. Call now and have your repair orders read for free, with no fee unless you win.
- Repair visits for one problem
- 4
- Visits for a defect that could injure
- 2
- Days in the shop, added up
- 30days
- First failure within
- 24months or 24,000 mi
How many repair visits count in Washington?
Washington counts 4 repair visits for the same defect under Washington's lemon law. A defect that could cause death or serious injury counts after 2 visits. 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 or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, per the Washington 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 Washington's own words: 30 months.
Washington also asks for written notice to the carmaker. In the state's words: written request to the manufacturer asking for repurchase or replacement. Your attorney sends it the right way.
Does Washington lemon law cover used cars?
Washington's law covers new vehicles, including demonstrators first bought or leased at retail in Washington. A used car does not qualify. A used car sold with a written warranty can also go under the federal warranty law in every state.
What Washington lemon law gives you back
In Washington, the maker must buy back or replace a car with a defect after a reasonable number of repair attempts. Your attorney works out the refund from your contract.
Washington also has an arbitration option for owners. Your attorney tells you whether it helps your case or hurts it, so call before you file. More on lemon law arbitration.
Who pays your Washington 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 Washington lemon law cost me anything?
What if the Washington dealer says nothing was found?
What should I have ready when I call?
Statutes and data
What to do now
The first thing to do is call, with every repair order in hand. The defect must first show up in the first 24 months after delivery, so do not wait.
Free Washington case review. No fee unless you win. Answered day and night.