Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in Rhode Island
How many repair attempts and days out of service before Rhode Island presumes your vehicle is a lemon, and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
Rhode Island grants the manufacturer one final cure window of up to 7 calendar days for a nonconformity that arose during the term of protection, and that window can start after the one-year / 15,000-mile period has expired.
Every state, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 calendar days |
| Coverage window | 1 year or 15,000 miles from original delivery (the "term of protection"; whichever comes first) |
| Used cars | New vehicles only |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2-5 (presumption); §31-5.2-1 (definitions) |
What Rhode Island car buyers get wrong
Rhode Island’s lemon law, R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2, frames its numbers around a defined "term of protection": one year or 15,000 miles from original delivery, whichever comes first. Within that window, §31-5.2-5 presumes a "reasonable number of attempts" once the same nonconformity has been repaired 4 or more times, or the vehicle has been out of service for a cumulative 30 or more calendar days. Both are presumption triggers, so clearing them shifts the burden to the manufacturer rather than settling the claim. One Rhode Island wrinkle is the extra cure period: the manufacturer gets one additional opportunity, capped at 7 calendar days, to fix a nonconformity that showed up during the term of protection, and that final attempt can begin even after the one-year / 15,000-mile clock has run out. Rhode Island covers new vehicles only and has no separate used-car lemon law under this chapter.
Common questions
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island presumes a lemon after 4 repair attempts on the same nonconformity, or 30 or more calendar days out of service, within the one-year / 15,000-mile term of protection. These are presumption triggers that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
What is Rhode Island’s "term of protection"?
It is the coverage window: one year or 15,000 miles from the date of original delivery, whichever comes first. The repair-attempt and out-of-service thresholds are measured inside that period.
Does the manufacturer get a final chance to fix the car?
Yes. Rhode Island allows one additional cure opportunity of up to 7 calendar days for a nonconformity that arose during the term of protection, and that window can begin even after the one-year / 15,000-mile period ends.
Does the Rhode Island lemon law cover used cars?
No. R.I. Gen. Laws §31-5.2 applies to a new motor vehicle within the term of protection. Rhode Island has no standalone used-car lemon law under this chapter.
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.