States
Louisiana lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What La. Rev. Stat. 51:1941 to 51:1948 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 Louisiana lemon law tests?
Louisiana, November 5, 2026 read in the statute
Not yet: one more repair attempt
| Protection period | 1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first: until January 5, 2027. You are inside it. |
| Repair attempts, same defect | Not met: needs 4, you have 3 |
| Days out of service | Not met: needs 45 calendar days, you have 12 |
| Also | The manufacturer chooses between replacement and refund. |
| Notice | No form or number of days stated in the sections read. You report the defect to the manufacturer or a dealer and make the car available in the period (51:1942); the text mentions a manufacturer’s “final attempt to cure”. |
| Dispute step | A manufacturer dispute procedure that qualifies must be used first (51:1944). |
| File a lawsuit by January 5, 2030 (1,157 days left) | Lawsuit within 3 years of delivery or 1 year after the warranty ends, whichever is later (51:1944). |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. La. Rev. Stat. 51:1941 to 51:1948 · Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission
The Louisiana lemon law in detailLouisiana’s lemon law, sections 51:1941 to 51:1948 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, protects a new motor vehicle during the warranty term or the first year after delivery, whichever ends first. Section 51:1943 presumes a reasonable number of attempts after four repairs of the same defect, or when the car has been out of service for a cumulative 45 calendar days, the longest days test of any state. A manufacturer dispute procedure that substantially follows 16 CFR Part 703 must be used first. A lawsuit may be filed up to three years from purchase or one year after the warranty ends, whichever is longer. The sections read do not fix a form or a number of days for a notice, although they mention a manufacturer’s final attempt to cure. We read sections 51:1941 to 51:1944 on the legislature’s site on November 1, 2026; the later sections were not read.
When is the last day to act?
File a lawsuit, Louisiana
September 5, 2029
| Days from today | 1,035 left |
| Rule: Lawsuit within 3 years of delivery or 1 year after the warranty ends, whichever is later (51:1944). | |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Forty-five days is a long wait
With 45 days needed, a Louisiana car must spend more than six weeks at the dealer within one year before the days test is met. Most owners will reach four attempts first. Keeping both counts on paper means the claim can rest on whichever test is met.
Beyond cars
The definition reaches personal watercraft and all-terrain vehicles used only for personal purposes, as well as leases. It leaves out vehicles of 10,000 pounds or more and vehicles used only for commercial purposes. The manufacturer may replace the car or refund it; the deduction is the use before the first notice and during any time the car was not out of service for repair, with no formula.
Louisiana’s civil code also has rules on redhibition, separate from this law and not modeled by the checker.
The Louisiana lemon law at a glance
| Law | La. Rev. Stat. 51:1941 to 51:1948 |
| Protection period | 1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first |
| Repair attempts | 4 attempts on the same defect |
| Serious safety defect | no separate test |
| Days out of service | 45 calendar days |
| Also | The manufacturer chooses between replacement and refund. |
| Written notice | No form or number of days stated in the sections read. You report the defect to the manufacturer or a dealer and make the car available in the period (51:1942); the text mentions a manufacturer’s “final attempt to cure”. |
| Dispute step | Manufacturer program first. A manufacturer dispute procedure that qualifies must be used first (51:1944). |
| Deadline | Lawsuit within 3 years of delivery or 1 year after the warranty ends, whichever is later (51:1944). |
| Use offset in a buyback | Use before the first report and while the car is not out of service for repair, with no formula (51:1944). |
| Vehicles covered | Passenger and passenger-and-commercial vehicles sold in Louisiana, personal watercraft and personal-use ATVs, and leases. Not vehicles of 10,000 lb gross weight or more, or vehicles used only for commercial purposes. |
| Used cars | Not covered. |
| State page | Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission |
| Level of reading | read in the statute |
| What we read | La. R.S. 51:1941 to 51:1944 on the legislature’s site, read on November 1, 2026. Sections 51:1945 to 51:1948 were not read. |
From written notice to a decision
Certified mail, return receipt requested.
Earliest decisionbetween Oct 16, 2026 and Nov 25, 2026
1. Done · milestone
Written notice reaches the manufacturer
Oct 16, 2026
No form or number of days stated in the sections read. You report the defect to the manufacturer or a dealer and make the car available in the period (51:1942); the text mentions a manufacturer’s “final attempt to cure”.
La. Rev. Stat. 51:1941 to 51:19482. Done · milestone
Final repair attempt
Oct 16, 2026
No fixed number of days for this step in the Louisiana text we read.
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 dispute procedure that qualifies must be used first (51:1944).
16 CFR 703.5(d)4. Upcoming · milestone
Accept, refuse or go further
Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026
Lawsuit within 3 years of delivery or 1 year after the warranty ends, whichever is later (51:1944).