Kentucky Lemon Law

KRS 367.840-846 covers new motor vehicles bought or leased in Kentucky after July 15, 1986 (purchases) or July 15, 1998 (leases) for personal, family, or household use. Coverage runs for the first 12 months after delivery or the first 12,000 miles, whichever comes first – the shortest window of any state lemon law. Excluded: used vehicles, motor homes, vehicles used primarily for business, conversion vans, motorcycles, mopeds, farm equipment, and vehicles over 12,000 pounds GVWR. The defect must substantially impair the vehicle's use, value, or safety.

Kentucky presumes a reasonable number of repair attempts when, within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, either the same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its authorized dealer and continues to exist, or the vehicle has been out of service due to warranty repair for a cumulative 30 or more calendar days. After hitting either threshold, you must report the nonconformity in writing to the manufacturer (certified mail recommended), giving them a final opportunity to cure before you invoke the refund or replacement remedy.

No. KRS 367.840-846 explicitly limits coverage to new motor vehicles. Used-car buyers in Kentucky have to fall back on the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act for any active manufacturer written warranty, plus UCC implied warranties of merchantability under KRS 355.2-314 (unless validly disclaimed in an 'as-is' sale), and the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act (KRS 367.170) for deceptive seller conduct. Kentucky does not have a separate used-car warranty statute.

Yes – KRS 367.840-846 was amended in 1998 to extend coverage to leased vehicles, so any qualifying new-vehicle lease entered into after July 15, 1998, is covered. Lessees have the same right to a refund or comparable replacement vehicle that purchasers do, and the manufacturer has to satisfy any remaining lease obligations on the returned vehicle. The same 12-month / 12,000-mile rights window applies, measured from the original delivery date.

KRS 367.846 sets a two-year statute of limitations measured from the expiration of the manufacturer's express warranty – not from delivery and not from when the defect was discovered. Because most new-car warranties run three years or longer, Kentucky's effective window is often longer than the typical UCC four-year clock. You still must have first reported the defect inside the 12-month / 12,000-mile lemon-law rights period and triggered the four-attempt or 30-day presumption to invoke the statute's remedies.

Only if the manufacturer maintains an informal dispute settlement procedure that substantially complies with the Magnuson-Moss federal regulations (16 C.F.R. Part 703). If they do – and most major manufacturers run BBB AUTO LINE or a similar program – you must submit to it before pursuing the statutory refund or replacement remedy. Kentucky does not operate a state-run arbitration program. The arbitrator's decision is not binding on you, so if you reject it you can sue in Circuit Court.

Kentucky lets the consumer choose between a comparable replacement vehicle and a full refund of the purchase price, including all taxes, license fees, and registration fees, minus a reasonable allowance for the consumer's use of the vehicle. Unlike many states, Kentucky's statute does not specify a per-mile or fraction-of-purchase-price formula for the use offset, so the manufacturer and consumer (or the court) negotiate it case-by-case. KRS 367.842 also allows recovery of reasonable attorney's fees and litigation costs to a prevailing consumer.