Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in Tennessee
How many repair attempts and days out of service before Tennessee presumes your vehicle is a lemon, and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the Tennessee 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 Tennessee
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
Tennessee measures the window by "term of protection," which is the warranty term or 1 year from delivery, whichever ends first, with no separate mileage cap. If you have already met the presumption when you notify the manufacturer, it is entitled to a final cure period of up to 10 days.
Every state, Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 calendar days |
| Coverage window | Warranty term or 1 year from delivery (whichever comes first) |
| Used cars | New vehicles only |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | Tenn. Code §55-24-101 et seq. (presumption §55-24-105) |
What Tennessee car buyers get wrong
Tennessee frames its lemon law around a "term of protection" (Tenn. Code §55-24-101 et seq.). The state presumes a lemon after the same substantial defect has been repaired 3 or more times and still exists, or after the vehicle has been out of service for a cumulative 30 calendar days, within that term. The term of protection is the manufacturer’s warranty period or 1 year from delivery, whichever comes first, and Tennessee sets no separate mileage cap. Those counts are presumption triggers under §55-24-105, shifting the burden to the manufacturer rather than deciding the claim on their own. One wrinkle: if you have already met the presumption at the moment you send written notice, the manufacturer is entitled to a final cure period of up to 10 days before you move ahead. The law covers new vehicles bought or leased with a warranty, not used cars as a class.
Common questions
How many repairs make a car a lemon in Tennessee?
Tennessee presumes a lemon after the same defect is repaired 3 or more times and still exists, or after 30 calendar days out of service, within the term of protection. It is a rebuttable presumption that shifts the burden to the manufacturer, not an automatic win.
What is the "term of protection" in Tennessee?
It is the manufacturer’s express warranty term or 1 year from the date of original delivery, whichever comes first. Tennessee does not add a separate mileage cap to that period.
Does Tennessee give the manufacturer a final repair chance?
Yes. If the presumption of a reasonable number of attempts is already met when you send notice, the manufacturer gets an additional opportunity, not to exceed 10 days, to correct the defect.
Does Tennessee’s lemon law cover used cars?
Not as a class. The law applies to new vehicles sold or leased with a manufacturer’s warranty. A used car is only helped while it is still within the original warranty’s term of protection, and there is no separate used-car lemon law.
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.