State lemon law
District of Columbia Lemon Law
When a new vehicle keeps failing, District of Columbia law can require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. These are the numbers the statute actually sets.
4
Repair attempts
1
If it is a safety defect
30
Days out of service
24
Months covered
18,000
Miles covered
What counts as a lemon in District of Columbia
Meeting any one of these raises a presumption that the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts. The repairs have to fall inside two years from purchase or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first.
- A problem that is not safety-related continues after four or more repair attempts.
- A safety-related problem, meaning one creating a risk of fire or explosion or otherwise life-threatening, continues after one or more failed repair attempts.
- The vehicle has been out of service for repair of defects that significantly impair it for a cumulative total of 30 days or more.
Failing all of these does not end a claim. The presumption is a shortcut through the evidence, not the whole of the law, and a vehicle that misses it can still be a lemon on ordinary warranty grounds. It does mean the owner has to prove what the presumption would have assumed.
Which vehicles the law reaches
New motor vehicles sold or registered in the District. Not used cars, motorcycles, motor homes or recreational vehicles.
What you get
A similar replacement vehicle or a refund of the purchase price, less a reasonable allowance for the miles on the vehicle.
The deadline
The defect has to appear within two years of purchase and before 18,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Where it is decided
The Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration hears claims against manufacturers, agents and dealers. If the board rejects the case, or the consumer rejects its decision, the consumer can go to court.
Worth knowing
- The District separates safety-related problems and gives the manufacturer a single attempt at them.
How District of Columbia compares
20 states ask for fewer repair attempts than District of Columbia's 4, and 29 others ask for the same 4. 7 states count fewer days out of service. 8 states stop counting at fewer than 18,000 miles.
Before you file: what is already on record
A lemon law claim is about your car. What other owners have reported about the same year, make and model is separate, and it is public: it can tell you whether the failure is a known pattern, whether NHTSA is investigating it, and whether a recall already covers the repair you have been paying for.
Under investigation 2010 Ford Fusion 2012 Ford Focus 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2013 Ford F-150 2010 Toyota Prius 2011 Ford Fusion
Where this comes from
Read from Automobile Consumer Protection Act, D.C. Code §§ 50-501 to 50-510 and from District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General, checked on 2026-08-20. Nothing on this page is copied from another summary, and there are a great many of them that disagree with the statutes they describe.
- D.C. Code § 50-502 (the consumer's remedy)
- D.C. Code § 50-503 (arbitration)
- Consumer alert: lemon law, DC Attorney General
- District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General
This is not legal advice. It is a reading of a public statute, written by somebody who is not a lawyer and does not know your car, your paperwork or your state's case law. A lemon law claim turns on facts this page cannot see. Take the statute and your repair orders to District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General, or to a lawyer in District of Columbia.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes . Data last checked 2026-08-20.
Independent developer and analyst