States
Montana lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What Mont. Code §§ 61-4-501 to 61-4-533 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 Montana lemon law tests?
Montana, November 5, 2026 read in the statute
Not yet: one more repair attempt
| Protection period | 2 years or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first: until January 5, 2028 or 18,000 miles. You are inside it. |
| Repair attempts, same defect | Not met: needs 4, you have 3 |
| Days out of service | Not met: needs 30 business days, you have 12 |
| Notice | Written notice to the manufacturer; days count after notification (§ 61-4-504). |
| Dispute step | A certified manufacturer procedure must be tried first; the state department also selects arbitrators (§§ 61-4-506, 61-4-516). |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Mont. Code §§ 61-4-501 to 61-4-533
The Montana lemon law in detailMontana’s lemon law, sections 61-4-501 to 61-4-533 of the Montana Code, read on the legislature’s site on November 1, 2026, protects passenger vehicles bought or leased for personal use for two years or 18,000 miles from delivery, whichever comes first. A reasonable number of attempts is presumed after four repairs of the same defect, or after 30 business days out of service counted from the owner’s notification to the manufacturer. The owner must first use the manufacturer’s certified dispute procedure, if there is one. Montana also has a state route: the Department of Justice selects arbitrators for lemon law disputes. The use offset in a buyback is the contract price times the miles driven before the manufacturer accepts the return, divided by 100,000.
What notice does your state ask for?
Montana
Written notice
| Rule: Written notice to the manufacturer; days count after notification (§ 61-4-504). | |
| Law | Mont. Code §§ 61-4-501 to 61-4-533 |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Notification starts the Montana day count
Montana counts the 30 business days only after the owner has notified the manufacturer, not from the first visit to the dealer. A letter sent early turns every later day at the shop into a day that counts.
The state-selected arbitrators give Montana owners a forum outside the manufacturer’s own program. The department keeps a panel and assigns the case. A buyback in Montana uses one of the more demanding offsets: a $35,000 car returned at 9,000 miles loses $3,150 to the formula.
The Montana lemon law at a glance
| Law | Mont. Code §§ 61-4-501 to 61-4-533 |
| Protection period | 2 years or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| Repair attempts | 4 attempts on the same defect |
| Serious safety defect | no separate test |
| Days out of service | 30 business days |
| Written notice | Written notice to the manufacturer; days count after notification (§ 61-4-504). |
| Dispute step | Manufacturer program first. A certified manufacturer procedure must be tried first; the state department also selects arbitrators (§§ 61-4-506, 61-4-516). |
| Deadline | Not set in the text we read |
| Use offset in a buyback | Contract price × miles before the manufacturer accepts the return ÷ 100,000 (§ 61-4-501). |
| Vehicles covered | Passenger vehicles for personal use, bought or leased. |
| Used cars | Not covered. |
| State page | no agency page |
| Level of reading | read in the statute |
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
Written notice to the manufacturer; days count after notification (§ 61-4-504).
Mont. Code §§ 61-4-501 to 61-4-5332. Done · milestone
Final repair attempt
Oct 16, 2026
No fixed number of days for this step in the Montana 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 certified manufacturer procedure must be tried first; the state department also selects arbitrators (§§ 61-4-506, 61-4-516).
16 CFR 703.5(d)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.