South Carolina Lemon Law Guide: Your Rights Under South Carolina Lemon Law

What Is the South Carolina Lemon Law? The South Carolina Lemon Law is codified at S.C. Code Ann. § 56-28-10 et seq. and provides a statutory remedy for purchasers and lessees of new motor vehicles that have substantial defects that are not repaired after a reasonable number of attempts. The statute is designed to protect consumers whose new vehicles suffer from nonconformities that substantially impair the vehicle's use, value, or safety and that occur within the specified coverage period. The law focuses on prompt, practical remedies, including repair, replacement, or repurchase, and requires manufacturers to establish dispute settlement procedures for resolving consumer complaints. Because the statute is specific in its coverage and procedures, consumers should review the text of the law and official guidance from the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs and Attorney General's consumer protection division. The state's consumer protection portal provides resources and contact information: https://consumer.sc.gov/. For a basic overview of lemon law principles applicable across jurisdictions, see our general guide: What Is the Lemon Law?/resources/what-is-the-lemon-law/. Which Vehicles Qualify Under South Carolina Lemon Law? South Carolina's lemon law applies only to new motor vehicles. The statute explicitly excludes used vehicles. Coverage begins at delivery to the original consumer and continues for the shorter of 12 months from the date of delivery or 12,000 miles on the odometer. The law typically applies to cars, trucks, vans, and passenger vehicles primarily used for personal, family, or household purposes; commercial vehicles may be treated differently depending on their weight and intended use under the statute. Important qualifiers that affect whether a particular vehicle is covered include the vehicle's purchase or lease status must be a new vehicle, the timing of defects within the coverage period, and whether the defect substantially impairs the vehicle's use, value, or safety. Because the statute is time- and mileage-limited, consumers should act promptly when defects appear and preserve repair records and service orders. How Many Repair Attempts Are Required in South Carolina? South Carolina's lemon law sets objective thresholds for when a consumer may invoke statutory remedies. The two primary tests are 1 a number of repair attempts for the same defect and 2 a cumulative days-out-of-service threshold. The statutory thresholds for new vehicles are as follows: | Threshold type | Requirement | |---|---:| | Repair attempts for the same nonconformity | 3 completed repair attempts by an authorized dealer or agent | | Days out of service cumulative | 30 or more calendar days total in repair | | Coverage window | Within 12 months or 12,000 miles of delivery whichever occurs first | If the manufacturer or its authorized dealer cannot repair a nonconformity after three attempts, or if the vehicle is out of service for a