Georgia Lemon Law

Georgia's lemon law (O.C.G.A. §§ 10-1-780 et seq.) covers new motor vehicles purchased or leased in Georgia for personal, family, or household use. The defect must substantially impair use, value, or safety and arise during the Lemon Law Rights Period: two years from delivery or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. Demonstrators are covered. Excluded are used vehicles, motorcycles, vehicles with a gross weight over 12,000 pounds, the living quarters of motor homes, and vehicles primarily used for business. If your defect is a 'serious safety defect,' just one failed repair attempt qualifies, which is far more favorable than the standard three attempts.

The standard threshold is three repair attempts for the same nonconformity, or 30 cumulative days out of service for any combination of defects. For a 'serious safety defect' (life-threatening, control-impeding, or creating fire or explosion risk), only one failed repair attempt is required. After meeting one of these thresholds, you must send written notice to the manufacturer demanding a final repair opportunity; the manufacturer has 28 days to attempt the final repair. Only after this final attempt fails does the vehicle qualify as a lemon under Georgia law.

No. Georgia's lemon law applies only to new vehicles sold or leased in the state. Used-car buyers in Georgia generally have no state-specific lemon protection and must rely on the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (if any express written warranty exists), the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act for deceptive sales, or any remaining portion of the original manufacturer's warranty. Georgia also does not impose a mandatory used-car implied warranty on dealers, so as-is sales are generally enforceable. Buyers should obtain a pre-purchase inspection and check for unrepaired recalls before closing.

Yes. Georgia's lemon law covers consumers who lease new vehicles for personal, family, or household purposes on the same terms as purchasers. The lease must originate in Georgia and the vehicle must be registered there. Refund remedies for lessees typically include reimbursement of capitalized cost reduction, monthly payments, and lease payoff, less the statutory mileage offset. The leasing company (lessor) is generally required to cooperate in unwinding the lease.

Yes. After exhausting the manufacturer's 28-day final repair opportunity, you must file an application with the Georgia Attorney General's Motor Vehicle Arbitration Panel before filing a civil lawsuit under the lemon law. Unlike many states, Georgia operates its own state arbitration panel rather than requiring BBB AUTO LINE. Each arbitrator is either a licensed Georgia attorney or has at least two years of arbitration or dispute resolution experience. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may file a civil action; either party may also appeal the panel's decision to superior court.

You must file your completed State Arbitration Application within one year after the expiration of the Lemon Law Rights Period (which itself is two years from delivery or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first). That gives you a maximum of three years from delivery to seek arbitration in most cases. After arbitration, civil actions or appeals must be commenced promptly under the procedural deadlines set by the panel decision. Missing the one-year arbitration window typically forfeits state lemon law remedies, although federal Magnuson-Moss claims may still be available within the four-year UCC statute of limitations.

If the manufacturer cannot repair the defect after the statutory attempts, you can choose either a comparable replacement vehicle or a refund. The refund covers the full purchase price including taxes, title, registration, finance charges, and incidental costs, reduced by a mileage offset calculated as the miles driven before the first repair visit for the qualifying defect, multiplied by the purchase price, divided by 120,000 (or 90,000 for motor homes). Arbitrators may award attorney's fees and expert witness costs to prevailing consumers. The Attorney General can also impose civil penalties up to $2,000 per violation against non-compliant manufacturers.