States

Illinois lemon law: when a new car is a lemon

What 815 ILCS 380 (New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act) asks before a manufacturer must repurchase or replace a car, the steps on the way and the last day to act.

Does your car meet the Illinois lemon law tests?

Defect that could cause death or serious injury?
Written notice already sent to the manufacturer?
Your warranty (default 3 years or 36,000 miles)

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Illinois, November 5, 2026 read on the official state page

Not yet: one more repair attempt

Protection period1 year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first: until January 5, 2027 or 12,000 miles. You are inside it.
Repair attempts, same defectNot met: needs 4, you have 3
Days out of serviceNot met: needs 30 business days, you have 12
NoticeClaims go through the manufacturer’s designated representative, not the dealer.
Dispute stepThe manufacturer’s third-party dispute board decides first; you may sue if you disagree, the manufacturer may not dispute the board.
Request arbitration by January 5, 2027 (61 days left)Complaints must be filed within 12 months of the purchase date (Illinois Attorney General).

Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. 815 ILCS 380 (New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act) · Illinois Attorney General

The Illinois lemon law in detail

The Illinois New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act, 815 ILCS 380, gives the shortest coverage of the large states. According to the Attorney General’s lemon law brochure, a new car, light truck or van under 8,000 pounds, or a recreational vehicle other than a trailer, bought or leased in Illinois, qualifies when the same defect survives four repair attempts within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, or when the vehicle is out of service 30 business days in that period. Claims go through the manufacturer’s designated representative and its third-party dispute resolution board, not through the dealer. The owner may sue if the board’s decision is unsatisfactory; the manufacturer may not. Complaints must be filed within 12 months of the purchase date. Used cars, motorcycles and boats are not covered.

When is the last day to act?

Request arbitration, Illinois

September 5, 2026

Days from todaypassed 61 days ago
Rule: Complaints must be filed within 12 months of the purchase date (Illinois Attorney General).
Open the deadline calculator →

State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

One year for everything in Illinois

In Illinois the protection period and the filing deadline both end about a year after purchase. An owner who spends ten months on repairs has very little time left to bring the case. The Attorney General’s office suggests writing to the manufacturer’s representative, whose address is in the warranty booklet, as soon as the problem returns.

The board that decides first is set up by the industry, which is why the Illinois brochure insists that the owner keeps the right to go to court afterwards. The legislature’s site did not answer our reader; the brochure, dated December 2023, is the source of these figures.

The Illinois lemon law at a glance

Checked in early November 2026. Dates of any archived copy are given in the last row.
Law815 ILCS 380 (New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act)
Protection period1 year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first
Repair attempts4 attempts on the same defect
Serious safety defectno separate test
Days out of service30 business days
Written noticeClaims go through the manufacturer’s designated representative, not the dealer.
Dispute stepManufacturer program first. The manufacturer’s third-party dispute board decides first; you may sue if you disagree, the manufacturer may not dispute the board.
DeadlineComplaints must be filed within 12 months of the purchase date (Illinois Attorney General).
Use offset in a buybackNo formula in the text we read
Vehicles coveredNew cars bought or leased in Illinois, light trucks and vans under 8,000 lb, RVs (not trailers).
Used carsUsed cars, motorcycles and boats are not covered.
State pageIllinois Attorney General
Level of readingread on the official state page

From written notice to a decision

Certified mail, return receipt requested.

Earliest decisionbetween Oct 16, 2026 and Nov 25, 2026

3Today

  1. 1. Done · milestone

    Written notice reaches the manufacturer

    Oct 16, 2026

    Claims go through the manufacturer’s designated representative, not the dealer.

    815 ILCS 380 (New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act)

  2. 2. Done · milestone

    Final repair attempt

    Oct 16, 2026

    No fixed number of days for this step in the Illinois text we read.

  3. 3. In progress · 0 day – 6 weeks

    Dispute program decides

    Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026

    A program that follows 16 CFR Part 703 must decide within 40 days of receiving your dispute. The manufacturer’s third-party dispute board decides first; you may sue if you disagree, the manufacturer may not dispute the board.

    16 CFR 703.5(d)

  4. 4. Upcoming · milestone

    Accept, refuse or go further

    Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026

    Complaints must be filed within 12 months of the purchase date (Illinois Attorney General).

Illinois: each bar is proportional to the time the text gives for the step; a step with no time in the law is a milestone.

Questions people ask

How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Illinois?

The Illinois presumption starts at 4 attempts on the same defect, or 30 business days out of service in total, within 1 year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Meeting a test creates a presumption, which the manufacturer can still contest before the program or the court. Count each visit with its repair order, and keep every order with its dates.

Does the Illinois lemon law cover used or leased cars?

New cars bought or leased in Illinois, light trucks and vans under 8,000 lb, RVs (not trailers). Used cars: Used cars, motorcycles and boats are not covered. A used car sold with the rest of the manufacturer’s warranty still carries that warranty, which federal law enforces even where the state lemon law stops. Leases are covered where the text names lessees.

Must I go through arbitration before suing under the Illinois lemon law?

The manufacturer’s third-party dispute board decides first; you may sue if you disagree, the manufacturer may not dispute the board. Time limit: Complaints must be filed within 12 months of the purchase date (Illinois Attorney General). Under the federal rule, 16 CFR Part 703, a manufacturer program that a warranty requires you to use first must decide within 40 days, and its decision does not bind you if you go to court afterwards. The warranty booklet names any program the manufacturer offers.

Check next

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Notice letter builder

Build the written notice to the manufacturer, with your state’s law cited; it is made in your browser and never sent.

Arbitration

State-run programs and manufacturer programs: which comes first in your state, the 40-day rule, and the timeline from notice to decision.

Deadline calculator

The last day to file a lemon law claim in your state, counted from delivery, the protection period or the warranty.

Laws and official pages behind this page

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State lemon laws 2026, read in each state code and on state consumer pages, last checked on