States

Missouri lemon law: when a new car is a lemon

What Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.560 to 407.579 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 Missouri 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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Missouri, 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 working days, you have 12
NoticeWritten notice to the manufacturer; it has 10 calendar days after delivery to a repair facility (§ 407.573).
Dispute stepThe manufacturer must tell you about its informal dispute procedure (§§ 407.573, 407.575).
File a lawsuit by July 5, 2027 (242 days left)Lawsuit within 6 months after the warranty ends or 18 months after delivery, whichever is earlier; 90 days after a dispute procedure (§ 407.573).

Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.560 to 407.579

The Missouri lemon law in detail

Missouri’s lemon law, sections 407.560 to 407.579 of the Revised Statutes, read on the revisor’s site on November 1, 2026, protects a new motor vehicle during the warranty term or the first year after delivery, whichever ends first. A reasonable number of attempts is presumed after four repairs of the same nonconformity, or after a cumulative 30 working days out of service. The owner must notify the manufacturer in writing, and the manufacturer then has ten calendar days, from the car’s delivery to a reasonably accessible repair facility, to fix it. The manufacturer must tell the owner about its informal dispute procedure. An action must be brought within six months after the warranty ends or 18 months after delivery, whichever is earlier, or within 90 days after a dispute procedure ends.

When is the last day to act?

File a lawsuit, Missouri

March 5, 2027

Days from today120 left
Rule: Lawsuit within 6 months after the warranty ends or 18 months after delivery, whichever is earlier; 90 days after a dispute procedure (§ 407.573).
Open the deadline calculator →

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

Ninety days after the program

Missouri’s deadline has three parts, and the last one is easy to miss. An owner who goes through the manufacturer’s informal procedure gets 90 days after it ends to sue, which can be shorter than the six-month or 18-month limit. Writing the program’s end date on the file is the first thing to do when a decision arrives.

Working days are not calendar days. A car held from a Friday to the next Monday counts as two working days, not four, which slows the count toward 30.

The Missouri lemon law at a glance

Checked in early November 2026. Dates of any archived copy are given in the last row.
LawMo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.560 to 407.579
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 working days
Written noticeWritten notice to the manufacturer; it has 10 calendar days after delivery to a repair facility (§ 407.573).
Dispute stepManufacturer program first. The manufacturer must tell you about its informal dispute procedure (§§ 407.573, 407.575).
DeadlineLawsuit within 6 months after the warranty ends or 18 months after delivery, whichever is earlier; 90 days after a dispute procedure (§ 407.573).
Use offset in a buybackNo formula in the text we read
Vehicles coveredNew motor vehicles.
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 26, 2026 and Dec 5, 2026

23Today

  1. 1. Done · milestone

    Written notice reaches the manufacturer

    Oct 16, 2026

    Written notice to the manufacturer; it has 10 calendar days after delivery to a repair facility (§ 407.573).

    Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.560 to 407.579

  2. 2. Done · 10 days

    Final repair window

    Oct 26, 2026

    10 calendar days after the car reaches a reasonably accessible repair facility (Mo. Rev. Stat. 407.573).

    Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.560 to 407.579

  3. 3. In progress · 0 day – 6 weeks

    Dispute program decides

    Oct 26, 2026 – Dec 5, 2026

    A program that follows 16 CFR Part 703 must decide within 40 days of receiving your dispute. The manufacturer must tell you about its informal dispute procedure (§§ 407.573, 407.575).

    16 CFR 703.5(d)

  4. 4. Upcoming · milestone

    Accept, refuse or go further

    Oct 26, 2026 – Dec 5, 2026

    Lawsuit within 6 months after the warranty ends or 18 months after delivery, whichever is earlier; 90 days after a dispute procedure (§ 407.573).

Missouri: 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 Missouri?

The Missouri presumption starts at 4 attempts on the same defect, or 30 working 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 Missouri lemon law cover used or leased cars?

New motor vehicles. 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 Missouri lemon law?

The manufacturer must tell you about its informal dispute procedure (§§ 407.573, 407.575). Time limit: Lawsuit within 6 months after the warranty ends or 18 months after delivery, whichever is earlier; 90 days after a dispute procedure (§ 407.573). 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

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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.

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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Independent publisher of a state-by-state reference to new and used car lemon laws in the United States, with eligibility, deadline and refund calculators

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