Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in Georgia
How many repair attempts and days out of service before Georgia presumes your vehicle is a lemon — and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the Georgia lemon presumption?
Enter your repairs and downtime. This checks the presumption — it is not a legal verdict.
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 Georgia
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
Georgia defines "serious safety defect" by statute: a life-threatening malfunction that impedes control or operation, or creates a risk of fire or explosion — the safety track needs just 1 unsuccessful repair.
Every state — Georgia 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 Georgia falls in.
The full picture, with the source
Every figure, and where it comes from.
| Same-defect attempts | 3 |
| Serious-safety attempts | 1 |
| Days out of service | 30 calendar days |
| Coverage window | 24 months or 24,000 miles from delivery (the "Lemon Law Rights Period"; whichever comes first) |
| Used cars | New vehicles only |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | O.C.G.A. §10-1-784 (presumption); §10-1-782 (rights period) |
What Georgia car buyers get wrong
Georgia, administered by the state Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Division, defines its safety track precisely — which is worth reading before you rely on it. Under O.C.G.A. §10-1-784, the state presumes a lemon after 3 repair attempts on the same defect, 1 attempt on a "serious safety defect," or 30 cumulative days out of service, all within a 24-month / 24,000-mile Lemon Law Rights Period. Georgia’s "serious safety defect" is a defined term: a life-threatening malfunction or nonconformity that impedes the ability to control or operate the vehicle for ordinary use, or that creates a risk of fire or explosion. That definition, not a vague safety notion, is what unlocks the single-attempt track. All three prongs are presumption triggers that shift the burden to the manufacturer, and Georgia covers new vehicles only — there is no used-car lemon law.
Common questions
How many repairs is a lemon in Georgia?
Georgia presumes a lemon after 3 attempts on the same defect, 1 attempt on a serious safety defect, or 30 cumulative days out of service — within 24 months or 24,000 miles. These are presumption triggers that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
What counts as a serious safety defect in Georgia?
By statute, a life-threatening malfunction or nonconformity that impedes the ability to control or operate the vehicle for ordinary use, or that creates a risk of fire or explosion. That definition unlocks the single-repair-attempt track.
How long is Georgia’s Lemon Law Rights Period?
It runs 24 months or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever comes first, under O.C.G.A. §10-1-782.
Does Georgia’s lemon law cover used cars?
No. Georgia’s lemon law covers new vehicles only. There is no used-car lemon law in Georgia.
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.