Minnesota Lemon Law

Yes if you bought or leased a new motor vehicle (or a used vehicle still under the original manufacturer's express warranty) in Minnesota and the vehicle is used at least 40% for personal, family, or household purposes (Minn. Stat. § 325F.665). The defect must substantially impair the use or market value of the vehicle. Coverage runs during the manufacturer's express warranty or 2 years from original delivery, whichever expires first, as long as you reported the defect during that window. Cars, pickups, vans, and the chassis/drivetrain of recreational vehicles are covered; motorcycles and the residential portions of motor homes are not.

Under Minn. Stat. § 325F.665, subd. 3, the manufacturer is presumed to have had a reasonable number of repair attempts after any of the following: (1) the same nonconformity has been subject to repair 4 or more times; (2) the vehicle has been out of service for warranty repairs for a cumulative 30 or more business days; or (3) just one repair attempt has failed for a steering or brake defect 'likely to cause death or serious bodily injury.' Each must occur during the warranty period or within 2 years of delivery, whichever is earlier.

Two separate statutes apply. Used vehicles still within the original manufacturer's warranty get full Lemon Law protection under Minn. Stat. § 325F.665. Otherwise, Minnesota's used-car warranty law (Minn. Stat. § 325F.662) requires licensed dealers to provide a statutory written warranty: 60 days/2,500 miles for vehicles under 36,000 miles, 30 days/1,000 miles for 36,000–75,000 miles, and 15 days/500 miles for 75,000–125,000 miles (non-franchise dealers only). Vehicles priced under $3,000, over 8 model years old, salvage-titled, or over 9,000 lbs GVW are excluded.

Yes — leased new vehicles are covered if the lease term is longer than 4 months (Minn. Stat. § 325F.665, subd. 13). A lessee has the same rights as a purchaser. On a buyback the lessee does not receive a replacement vehicle; instead the manufacturer must refund all amounts the lessee actually paid under the lease — capitalized cost reductions, monthly payments, taxes, fees, and any other charges — minus the statutory use allowance. The lessor is reimbursed for its remaining interest separately.

You must commence a civil action within 3 years of the date of original delivery of the vehicle to the consumer (Minn. Stat. § 325F.665, subd. 9). If you go through a certified informal dispute settlement procedure first, you have up to 6 months after the final arbitration decision to file in court. The defect itself must have been reported during the warranty period or within 2 years of delivery, whichever expired first.

Only if the manufacturer's program has been certified by the Minnesota Attorney General as substantially complying with FTC Rule 16 C.F.R. Part 703. The AG actively reviews these programs and many are not approved, in which case you can go straight to court. Even after a certified arbitration, the decision is not binding on you — you can reject it and sue. If a manufacturer appeals an arbitration award and does not obtain a better result, it can be liable for treble the amount you paid post-appeal, plus attorney's fees (Minn. Stat. § 325F.665, subd. 11).

Minnesota's Lemon Law is a state-specific presumption-based remedy: 4 repairs, 30 business days out of service, or 1 attempt for a serious safety defect entitles you to a refund or replacement on a new (or in-warranty used) vehicle within 2 years. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.) is broader — it applies to any product sold with a written warranty (including older used cars and commercial buyers) and lets you recover attorney's fees on a successful written-warranty claim. Many Minnesota lemon-law complaints are pled under both, plus § 8.31 of the Minnesota Statutes for private consumer-fraud actions.