States
Michigan lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 257.1401 to 257.1410 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 Michigan lemon law tests?
Michigan, 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 30 days, you have 12 |
| Also | The 4 attempts may run over 2 years from the first attempt. The 30 days count days or parts of days. The manufacturer has 30 days to replace or refund. |
| Notice | Written notice by return-receipt mail after the 3rd attempt or 25 days out of service; the facility has 5 business days to repair. |
| Dispute step | If the manufacturer has an informal dispute procedure, you must use it first. |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 257.1401 to 257.1410 · Michigan Attorney General
The Michigan lemon law in detailMichigan’s lemon law, sections 257.1401 to 257.1410 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, covers passenger cars, SUVs, pickups and vans bought or leased in Michigan or by a Michigan resident, with a manufacturer’s express warranty. Section 257.1403 sets a reasonable number of repairs at four or more attempts for the same problem within two years of the first attempt, or 30 or more days or parts of days out of service within the warranty or the first year, whichever ends first. After the third attempt or 25 days out of service, the owner sends written notice by return-receipt service, and the facility gets five business days for a final repair. The manufacturer then has 30 days to replace or refund. Motor homes, buses, motorcycles and off-road vehicles are excluded. We read section 257.1403 in an archived copy of January 9, 2026, and the state’s page in an archived copy of May 22, 2026.
What notice does your state ask for?
Michigan
Written notice
| Rule: Written notice by return-receipt mail after the 3rd attempt or 25 days out of service; the facility has 5 business days to repair. | |
| Law: Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 257.1401 to 257.1410 |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Michigan’s two clocks
Michigan runs two different periods side by side. The defect must first be reported within the warranty or the first year, but the four attempts can then spread over two years from the first one. A car that first fails in month ten has until month thirty-four to reach the fourth attempt.
The final repair notice is the hinge of a Michigan claim. It goes by a service that returns a signed receipt, and it gives the manufacturer five business days. A manufacturer program, when there is one, must be used before a lawsuit.
The deduction
The price is multiplied by the miles before the first report plus any miles beyond 25,000, and divided by 100,000. Part of a day at the shop counts as a day, so check the dates on each order. We did not read the other sections, so this page gives no time limit to sue.
The Michigan lemon law at a glance
| Law | Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 257.1401 to 257.1410 |
| 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 | 30 days |
| Also | The 4 attempts may run over 2 years from the first attempt. The 30 days count days or parts of days. The manufacturer has 30 days to replace or refund. |
| Written notice | Written notice by return-receipt mail after the 3rd attempt or 25 days out of service; the facility has 5 business days to repair. |
| Dispute step | Manufacturer program first. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute procedure, you must use it first. |
| Deadline | Not set in the text we read |
| Use offset in a buyback | Price × (miles before the first report + miles beyond 25,000) ÷ 100,000 (MCL 257.1403). |
| Vehicles covered | Passenger cars, SUVs, pickups and vans bought or leased in Michigan or by a Michigan resident; not motor homes, buses, motorcycles or off-road vehicles. |
| Used cars | Only used vehicles still under the manufacturer’s express warranty. |
| State page | Michigan Attorney General |
| Level of reading | read in the statute |
| What we read | MCL 257.1403 in an archived copy of January 9, 2026, and the Attorney General’s page in an archived copy of May 22, 2026. The other sections were not read. |
From written notice to a decision
Certified mail, return receipt requested.
Earliest decisionbetween Oct 23, 2026 and Dec 2, 2026
1. Done · milestone
Written notice reaches the manufacturer
Oct 16, 2026
Written notice by return-receipt mail after the 3rd attempt or 25 days out of service; the facility has 5 business days to repair.
Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 257.1401 to 257.14102. Done · 7 days
Final repair window
Oct 23, 2026
5 business days for the final repair after the return-receipt notice (MCL 257.1403).
Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 257.1401 to 257.14103. In progress · 0 day – 6 weeks
Dispute program decides
Oct 23, 2026 – Dec 2, 2026
A program that follows 16 CFR Part 703 must decide within 40 days of receiving your dispute. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute procedure, you must use it first.
16 CFR 703.5(d)4. Upcoming · milestone
Accept, refuse or go further
Oct 23, 2026 – Dec 2, 2026
If you refuse the decision, the next step is the state program or a court.