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Consumer Protection · Lemon Law

Lemon Law in Arizona

How many repair attempts and days out of service before Arizona presumes your vehicle is a lemon, and whether used cars are covered.

Official statuteRead word-for-word
against A.R.S. §44‑1261 · azleg.gov
Read from the official source · Jul 8, 2026How we verify →
Our researchArizona ranks #27 of 50 in our Consumer Protection Index, an original score read from the statutes.
Lemon-law presumption · Arizona
4repair attempts
presumption trigger (same defect)
New onlyLeased: covered
Arizona presumes a lemon after 4 repair attempts for the same defect, or 30 days out of service, within the shorter of the warranty term or 2 years / 24,000 miles.
Days out of service30 calendar days
Coverage windowShorter of the express-warranty term or 2 years / 24,000 miles from delivery
StatuteA.R.S. §44‑1261

Do I meet the Arizona lemon presumption?

Enter your repairs and downtime. This checks the presumption; it is not a legal verdict.

Lemon-law presumption checklist · Arizona
Enter your repairs to check the presumption

This checklist is educational, not a legal verdict. Every state writes these numbers as a rebuttable presumption: hitting them shifts the burden to the manufacturer, and the manufacturer can still rebut it. Keep every repair order, send any required written notice, and consult a lawyer about your specific facts. This is legal information, not legal advice.

How the presumption works in Arizona

The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.

Same-defect repair attempts
4 attempts on the same defect (presumption trigger)
Days out of service
30 calendar days
What you must show
The defect must substantially impair use or value. A suit generally must be filed within 6 months after the earlier of the warranty’s expiration or 2 years / 24,000 miles (§44-1265).

Arizona has no smaller safety-defect count; it is a flat 4 attempts / 30 days. Do not confuse §44-1267 (a 15-day/500-mile implied-warranty rule for used-car sales) with the lemon law.

These numbers are a presumption, not a hard gate

Every state, Arizona included, writes these thresholds as a rebuttable presumption. Reaching them shifts the burden onto the manufacturer to prove your vehicle is not a lemon; it does not mean you automatically win. You may also qualify with fewer attempts if a "reasonable number" of repairs is shown some other way, and the manufacturer can rebut the presumption. This is legal information, not legal advice.

Used cars & leased vehicles

Which of the three coverage categories Arizona falls in.

Category CNew vehicles only
Used cars
Arizona’s lemon law (§44-1261 et seq.) covers new vehicles only. A separate rule, A.R.S. §44-1267, gives used-car buyers a non-disclaimable implied warranty of merchantability for the first 15 days or 500 miles of a dealer sale, but that is NOT the lemon law and should not be read as used-car lemon coverage.
Leased vehicles
Covered. Arizona treats a lessee as a protected consumer.

The full picture, with the source

Every figure, and where it comes from.

Same-defect attempts4
Serious-safety attemptsNo separate safety count
Days out of service30 calendar days
Coverage windowShorter of the express-warranty term or 2 years / 24,000 miles from delivery
Used carsNew vehicles only
Leased vehiclesCovered
StatuteA.R.S. §44-1261 to 44-1265 (presumption §44-1264)

What Arizona car buyers get wrong

Arizona keeps its new-car lemon law simple and flat: under A.R.S. §44-1264 the state presumes a lemon after 4 repair attempts on the same defect or 30 days out of service, measured over the shorter of the express-warranty term or 2 years / 24,000 miles. There is no reduced count for safety defects here: the same 4-attempt / 30-day test applies to everything, and those numbers are presumption triggers that shift the burden to the manufacturer, not an automatic verdict. The trap in Arizona is a different statute entirely: §44-1267 gives used-car buyers a non-disclaimable implied warranty of merchantability for the first 15 days or 500 miles of a dealer sale. That is a short used-car protection, but it is not the lemon law and does not make Arizona a used-car lemon state. The lemon law itself covers new vehicles only. Filing has its own clock: generally within 6 months after the warranty period ends.

Common questions

How many repair attempts is a lemon in Arizona?

Arizona presumes a lemon after 4 attempts on the same defect or 30 days out of service, within the shorter of the warranty term or 2 years / 24,000 miles. It is a rebuttable presumption that shifts the burden to the manufacturer.

Does Arizona have a used-car lemon law?

No. The lemon law covers new vehicles only. A separate statute, §44-1267, gives a 15-day / 500-mile implied warranty of merchantability on dealer used-car sales, but that is not the lemon law.

Does Arizona give a smaller repair count for safety defects?

No. Arizona uses a flat 4-attempt / 30-day test for all defects; there is no reduced safety-defect threshold.

Is there a deadline to sue under Arizona’s lemon law?

Yes. A suit generally must be filed within 6 months after the earlier of the warranty’s expiration or 2 years / 24,000 miles (§44-1265).

Primary source
→ A.R.S. §44-1261 to 44-1265 (presumption §44-1264)
Arizona State Legislature · A.R.S. §44-1264 · azleg.gov
Cholilurrohman
Every figure on this page is checked line-by-line against the current statute. Editorial standards →

Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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