Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in Massachusetts
How many repair attempts and days out of service before Massachusetts presumes your vehicle is a lemon — and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
The new-car out-of-service count is 15 BUSINESS days. Massachusetts also has a genuine used-car lemon law (§7N¼) with an odometer-tiered dealer warranty.
Every state — Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts falls in.
| Odometer at sale | Minimum dealer warranty |
|---|---|
| Under 40,000 miles | 90 days or 3,750 miles |
| 40,000 to 79,999 miles | 60 days or 2,500 miles |
| 80,000 to 124,999 miles | 30 days or 1,250 miles |
| 125,000 miles or more | No required warranty |
The full picture, with the source
Every figure, and where it comes from.
| Same-defect attempts | 3 |
| Serious-safety attempts | No separate safety count |
| Days out of service | 15 business days |
| Coverage window | 1 year or 15,000 miles from delivery (the "term of protection"; whichever comes first) |
| Used cars | Used-car lemon law |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | M.G.L. c.90 §7N½ (new vehicles) |
What Massachusetts car buyers get wrong
Massachusetts runs two lemon laws at once, and both are worth knowing. For new cars, M.G.L. c.90 §7N½ presumes a lemon after 3 repair attempts on the same defect or 15 business days out of service, within a "term of protection" of 1 year or 15,000 miles (a final repair attempt of up to 7 business days can apply). The out-of-service count is business days, so weekends and holidays are excluded. Separately, Massachusetts is one of only three states — with New York and New Jersey — that has a real used-car lemon law: §7N¼ forces dealers to give a written warranty on qualifying used cars, tiered by odometer from 90 days or 3,750 miles under 40,000 miles down to 30 days or 1,250 miles near 125,000 miles, above which no warranty is required. The used-car refund trigger is 3 failed repair attempts or more than 10 business days out of service; private sales are generally excluded. All of these thresholds are presumption triggers, not automatic verdicts.
Common questions
How many repairs is a lemon in Massachusetts?
For a new car, Massachusetts presumes a lemon after 3 attempts on the same defect or 15 business days out of service, within 1 year or 15,000 miles. It is a rebuttable presumption that shifts the burden to the manufacturer.
Does Massachusetts have a used-car lemon law?
Yes. M.G.L. c.90 §7N¼ is a genuine used-car lemon law. Dealers must give an odometer-tiered written warranty, and a refund is triggered after 3 failed repairs or more than 10 business days out of service. Private sales are generally excluded.
How long is the Massachusetts used-car warranty?
It tiers by odometer: 90 days or 3,750 miles under 40,000 miles; 60 days or 2,500 miles from 40,000 to 79,999 miles; and 30 days or 1,250 miles from 80,000 to 124,999 miles. At 125,000 miles or more, no warranty is required.
Are the out-of-service days business or calendar days in Massachusetts?
Business days. The new-car threshold is 15 business days and the used-car refund threshold is more than 10 business days, both excluding weekends and holidays.
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.