Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in Missouri
How many repair attempts and days out of service before Missouri presumes your vehicle is a lemon, and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the Missouri 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 Missouri
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
Missouri sets no separate smaller attempt count for safety defects, and imposes no mileage cap. The single limiter is time: 1 year from delivery or the warranty term, whichever ends first.
Every state, Missouri 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 Missouri falls in.
The full picture, with the source
Every figure, and where it comes from.
| Same-defect attempts | 4 |
| Serious-safety attempts | No separate safety count |
| Days out of service | 30 business days |
| Coverage window | Earlier of warranty expiration or 1 year from delivery (no mileage cap) |
| Used cars | New vehicles only |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.567 |
What Missouri car buyers get wrong
Missouri keeps its new-car presumption simple: 4 repair attempts on the same defect or 30 working days out of service, all inside 1 year from delivery or the warranty term, whichever ends first. There is no mileage ceiling, so the constraint is purely the calendar, and that short 1-year window is the part worth tracking. Unlike some states, Missouri does not carve out a smaller attempt count for safety defects, and it has no standalone used-car lemon law, so a used vehicle is protected only while the factory warranty issued as a condition of sale is still in force. Lessees are covered alongside buyers. As with every lemon law, clearing these thresholds shifts the burden to the manufacturer rather than deciding the claim on the spot.
Common questions
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Missouri?
Missouri presumes a lemon after 4 attempts on the same defect, or 30 working days out of service, within 1 year of delivery or the warranty term. That presumption shifts the burden to the manufacturer; it does not by itself decide the case.
Does Missouri give a shorter path for dangerous safety defects?
No. Missouri applies the same 4-attempt or 30-day test to every covered defect. Some states drop the count to 1 or 2 attempts for serious safety failures, but Missouri’s statute does not, so a safety defect follows the standard thresholds.
Is there a mileage limit under the Missouri lemon law?
No. Missouri sets no mileage cap. The only limiter is time: the presumption period is the earlier of the warranty expiration or 1 year from the delivery date.
Does the Missouri lemon law cover used cars?
Only while the vehicle is still under the original manufacturer warranty issued as a condition of sale. Missouri has no separate used-car lemon law, so once that warranty expires the lemon law no longer applies.
Are leased vehicles covered by the Missouri lemon law?
Yes. The statute’s definition of a covered vehicle includes lease-purchase vehicles as long as a manufacturer’s warranty was issued as a condition of sale, so lessees can pursue the same remedies as buyers.
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.