Consumer Protection · Lemon Law
Lemon Law in Utah
How many repair attempts and days out of service before Utah presumes your vehicle is a lemon, and whether used cars are covered.
presumption trigger (same defect)
Do I meet the Utah 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 Utah
The prongs that shift the burden to the manufacturer.
Utah counts out-of-service time in business days, so weekends and holidays do not add to the 30-day figure. That makes the day-count track meaningfully harder to reach here than in states that count calendar days.
Every state, Utah 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 Utah 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 |
| Used cars | New vehicles only |
| Leased vehicles | Covered |
| Statute | Utah Code §13-20-5 |
What Utah car buyers get wrong
Utah runs its lemon law as the New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act, administered through the Division of Consumer Protection. Under Utah Code §13-20-5 the state presumes a "reasonable number of attempts" after 4 repairs on the same defect, or after the vehicle sits out of service for 30 or more business days. Two details set Utah apart. First, the clock is short: the presumption period is the earlier of the warranty term or one year from delivery, so the second year of a long factory warranty does not count for the presumption. Second, the day count is in business days, not calendar days, which means weekends and holidays do not push you toward the 30-day mark. Meeting either track is a presumption, so clearing it shifts the burden to the manufacturer rather than deciding the case for you. The law covers vehicles purchased or leased new; there is no separate used-car lemon law in Utah.
Common questions
How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Utah?
Utah presumes a lemon after 4 attempts on the same defect, or 30 business days out of service, within the warranty term or the first year after delivery, whichever is earlier. That presumption shifts the burden to the manufacturer.
Does the Utah lemon law count weekends in the 30 days out of service?
No. Utah counts 30 business days, so weekends and holidays do not add to the total. That is a slower clock than states that use 30 calendar days.
Are leased vehicles covered by the Utah lemon law?
Yes. The New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act applies to vehicles that are purchased or leased new, so a leased new vehicle qualifies the same way a purchased one does.
Does Utah’s lemon law cover used cars?
No. Utah has no standalone used-car lemon law. This act covers new vehicles only; a used purchase relies on any written dealer warranty or federal law such as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
How long do I have to act under the Utah lemon law?
The presumption period runs to the earlier of the warranty expiration or one year from the date the vehicle was delivered to you, so the same defect and its repairs need to fall inside that window.
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.