Arkansas Lemon Law Guide: Your Rights Under Arkansas Lemon Law

What Is the Arkansas Lemon Law? The Arkansas Lemon Law Ark. Code Ann. § 4-90-401 et seq. provides a statutory remedy for consumers who purchase a defective new motor vehicle that substantially impairs its use, value or safety and cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts. The statute establishes objective thresholds that, when met, create a presumption that the manufacturer has failed to conform the vehicle to its express warranty. The law, administered in the consumer protection framework in Arkansas, operates alongside other state and federal remedies, including common-law breach of warranty claims and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. For official consumer guidance, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division is a primary resource and can be found at the Arkansas AG consumer protection site https://www.arkansasag.gov/consumer-protection/. Arkansas’s lemon law is designed to prompt manufacturers to repair covered new vehicles promptly or to make the consumer whole by replacing or repurchasing the defective vehicle. The statute sets specific time and mileage limits, repair-attempt thresholds, and the types of relief available. Consumers must follow the statutory framework and preserve documentation to establish their claim. Which Vehicles Qualify Under Arkansas Lemon Law? Arkansas’s lemon law protects purchasers or lessees of new motor vehicles that are covered by the manufacturer’s express warranty and that develop a defect or condition that substantially impairs use, value, or safety. The protection is limited to new vehicles; used vehicles are not covered under the Arkansas Lemon Law. Coverage begins on the date of delivery to the original consumer and lasts for the earlier of 24 months from the date of delivery or 24,000 miles on the odometer. Vehicles primarily used for business may still qualify if they otherwise meet the statute’s criteria, but statutory coverage is most commonly invoked by individual consumers. To qualify, the defect must occur during the coverage period and the consumer must provide the manufacturer a reasonable opportunity to repair the defect. Arkansas law presumes that a reasonable opportunity to repair has not been afforded when the statutory repair thresholds are met see Ark. Code Ann. § 4-90-401 et seq.. If you have questions about whether your vehicle qualifies, the Arkansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division can provide guidance: https://www.arkansasag.gov/consumer-protection/. How Many Repair Attempts Are Required in Arkansas? Arkansas sets clear repair-attempt thresholds that, when met, create a presumption that the manufacturer has failed to conform the vehicle to the warranty. Below is a concise table of the key thresholds consumers and their attorneys use to determine whether a lemon law claim is likely to succeed. | Threshold type | Arkansas requirement | |---|---:| | Same defect repair attempts | 3 repair attempts for the same defect | | Days o