Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in New Hampshire
How many repair attempts and days out of service before New Hampshire presumes your vehicle is a lemon, and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
The 3 repair attempts must be evidenced by written examination or repair orders from the same authorized dealer or agent, unless the consumer shows good cause for using a different one. An arbitration petition generally must be filed within one year after the later of the warranty’s expiration or the manufacturer’s final repair attempt.
Every state, New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire falls in.
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 | 30 business days |
| Coverage window | The express warranty term (the presumption thresholds must be met during that term) |
| Used cars | New vehicles only |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §357-D:3 (presumption); §357-D:1 et seq. |
What New Hampshire car buyers get wrong
New Hampshire runs its lemon law through a state body, the New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board at the DMV, rather than leaving disputes to each manufacturer. Under RSA 357-D:3 the state presumes a lemon after 3 repair attempts on the same nonconformity, or 30 or more business days out of service, as long as that happens during the express warranty term. Two details set New Hampshire apart from most states. First, the count is business days, so weekends and holidays a vehicle sits in the shop do not add to the 30. Second, the 3 attempts must be documented by written repair orders and generally must be to the same dealer or agent, unless you can show good cause for switching. As with every lemon law, meeting these numbers is a presumption that shifts the burden to the manufacturer; it is not an automatic win. New Hampshire covers new vehicles only and has no used-car lemon law.
Common questions
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire presumes a lemon after 3 attempts on the same nonconformity, or 30 or more business days out of service, within the express warranty term. Meeting that shifts the burden to the manufacturer rather than automatically deciding the case.
Are the 30 days business days or calendar days in New Hampshire?
Business days. The 30-or-more-days out-of-service trigger counts business days, so weekends and holidays the vehicle spends in the shop do not count toward the total.
Do the repair attempts have to be at the same dealer in New Hampshire?
Generally yes. The presumption applies to 3 attempts documented by written examination or repair orders at the same agent or authorized dealer, unless the consumer shows good cause for taking the vehicle somewhere else.
Who decides a New Hampshire lemon-law claim?
The state New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, administered through the DMV, hears qualifying disputes. A petition generally must be filed within one year after the later of the warranty’s expiration or the manufacturer’s last repair attempt.
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.