Tennessee Lemon Law Guide: Your Rights Under Tennessee Lemon Law

What Is the Tennessee Lemon Law? Tennessee’s lemon law, codified at Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-24-101 et seq., provides statutory rights and remedies to consumers who purchase or lease defective new motor vehicles. The statute is designed to address substantial defects that impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle when the manufacturer or its authorized dealer cannot repair the defect within a specified timeframe or number of attempts. The law covers design and manufacturing defects that arise during the limited warranty period and sets out thresholds and remedies—most commonly replacement or repurchase of the vehicle. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division provides consumer education and additional resources about warranty and lemon-law questions; you can find information at the Tennessee AG’s consumer page https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/consumer.html. For legal reference, the statutory framework is contained in Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-24-101 et seq., which should be consulted for detailed statutory language. Which Vehicles Qualify Under Tennessee Lemon Law? Tennessee’s lemon law applies to new motor vehicles that are sold or leased to a consumer and that are still within the initial warranty period. Key qualification points are: - Coverage period: The statutory coverage applies during the earlier of 12 months from the vehicle’s original delivery date or the first 12,000 miles of operation. If the defect occurs after this window, the lemon law’s statutory presumption no longer applies. - Vehicle type: The law is focused on passenger vehicles and other consumer motor vehicles as defined by statute; commercial vehicles outside typical consumer use may not qualify. - Used vehicles: Tennessee’s lemon law covers new vehicles only. Previously owned or used vehicles are generally excluded from the statute’s protections. - Warranty status: The defect must be covered by the vehicle’s express warranty—typically the manufacturer’s new-vehicle limited warranty—during the statutory coverage period. Because the statute and specific fact patterns can be complicated, consumers should retain warranty paperwork, purchase/lease documents, and all repair orders to establish dates, mileage, and the nature of warranty-covered repairs. How Many Repair Attempts Are Required in Tennessee? Tennessee establishes objective thresholds that, if met, create a statutory presumption that the vehicle is a lemon. The two primary thresholds are a number of repair attempts for the same defect and a total number of days the vehicle is out of service due to warranty repairs. | Condition / Threshold | Tennessee Rule | |---|---:| | Number of repair attempts for the same defect | 4 repair attempts by an authorized dealer or service facility for the same nonconformity defect | | Cumulative days out of service for repairs | 30 cumulative calendar days out of service for warranty repairs | | Coverage period | First 12 months after delivery or first 12,00