States

Kansas lemon law: when a new car is a lemon

What Kan. Stat. §§ 50-645 to 50-646 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 Kansas 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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Kansas, November 5, 2026 read in the statute

Not yet: one more repair attempt

Protection period1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first: until January 5, 2027. You are inside it.
Repair attempts, same defectNot met: needs 4, you have 3
Days out of serviceNot met: needs 30 calendar days, you have 12
AlsoOr 10 or more attempts on any defects that substantially impair the car.
NoticeNot required by § 50-645.
Dispute stepA manufacturer procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703 must be used first (§ 50-645(e)).

Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Kan. Stat. §§ 50-645 to 50-646

The Kansas lemon law in detail

Kansas’s lemon law, sections 50-645 and 50-646 of the Kansas Statutes, read on the revisor’s site on November 1, 2026, covers new vehicles sold or leased in Kansas and registered at 12,000 pounds or less, during the warranty term or one year from delivery, whichever ends first. A reasonable number of attempts is presumed after four repairs of the same defect, after a cumulative 30 calendar days out of service, or after ten or more repair attempts on any defects that substantially impair the car. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute procedure that complies with the federal rule, 16 CFR Part 703, the owner must use it before suing. The refund is reduced by an allowance for the owner’s use before the first report and while the car was not out of service.

What notice does your state ask for?

Kansas

Written notice

RuleNot required by § 50-645.
LawKan. Stat. §§ 50-645 to 50-646
Build the notice letter →

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

The ten-attempt rule

Kansas adds a test that few states have: ten repair attempts of any kind during the first year. A car that is never down for long, and never fails the same way four times, but keeps going back with different faults, can still meet the Kansas presumption. Every repair order counts, not only those for one defect.

The text does not require a separate notice letter, but the federal-rule program comes first when the manufacturer has one. Its address is in the warranty booklet. The program must decide within 40 days, after which the owner may go to court.

The Kansas lemon law at a glance

Checked in early November 2026. Dates of any archived copy are given in the last row.
LawKan. Stat. §§ 50-645 to 50-646
Protection period1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first
Repair attempts4 attempts on the same defect
Serious safety defectno separate test
Days out of service30 calendar days
AlsoOr 10 or more attempts on any defects that substantially impair the car.
Written noticeNot required by § 50-645.
Dispute stepManufacturer program first. A manufacturer procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703 must be used first (§ 50-645(e)).
DeadlineNot set in the text we read
Use offset in a buybackUse by the consumer before the first report, and while the car was not out of service.
Vehicles coveredNew vehicles sold or leased in Kansas, registered at 12,000 lb or less.
Used carsNot covered.
State pageno agency page
Level of readingread in the statute

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

    Not required by § 50-645.

    Kan. Stat. §§ 50-645 to 50-646

  2. 2. Done · milestone

    Final repair attempt

    Oct 16, 2026

    No fixed number of days for this step in the Kansas 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. A manufacturer procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703 must be used first (§ 50-645(e)).

    16 CFR 703.5(d)

  4. 4. Upcoming · milestone

    Accept, refuse or go further

    Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026

    If you refuse the decision, the next step is the state program or a court.

Kansas: 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 Kansas?

The Kansas presumption starts at 4 attempts on the same defect, or 30 calendar days out of service in total, within 1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends 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 Kansas lemon law cover used or leased cars?

New vehicles sold or leased in Kansas, registered at 12,000 lb or less. Used cars: 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 Kansas lemon law?

A manufacturer procedure that complies with 16 CFR Part 703 must be used first (§ 50-645(e)). 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

Lemon law checker

Pick your state, enter your repairs and days out of service: the tests of your state’s lemon law, the steps and your deadline.

Compare state laws

Two states side by side, and the table of all 50 states and DC: period, attempts, days, dispute step, deadline.

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.

Buyback calculator

Estimate a lemon law refund: price and charges, less the use offset your state sets, with the formula shown.

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