States

Oregon lemon law: when a new car is a lemon

What Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 646A.400 to 646A.418 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 Oregon 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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Oregon, November 5, 2026 read on the official state page

The presumption appears to be met

Protection period2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first: until January 5, 2028 or 24,000 miles. You are inside it.
Repair attempts, same defectMet: needs 3, you have 3
Serious safety defectNot met: needs 1 attempt, you have no safety defect
Days out of serviceNot met: needs 30 calendar days, you have 12
NoticeDirect written notice to the manufacturer and an opportunity to fix the defect.
Dispute stepNot stated on the Oregon DOJ page.
File a lawsuit by January 5, 2029 (792 days left)Lawsuit within 1 year after the protection period ends (summary of ORS 646A, not confirmed).

Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 646A.400 to 646A.418 · Oregon Department of Justice

The Oregon lemon law in detail

Oregon’s lemon law, sections 646A.400 to 646A.418 of the Oregon Revised Statutes, covers new vehicles bought or leased for two years or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever comes first. As the Department of Justice explains on its consumer page, the owner may be entitled to a replacement or a refund when the same defect has been subject to repair three or more times, when a defect that could cause death or serious injury has been subject to repair at least once, or when the car has been out of service for 30 or more calendar days in total; for a motor home the days test is 60. The owner must give the manufacturer direct written notice and a chance to fix the defect. A lawsuit is due within one year after the protection period ends, according to a summary of the statute.

When is the last day to act?

File a lawsuit, Oregon

September 5, 2028

Days from today670 left
Rule: Lawsuit within 1 year after the protection period ends (summary of ORS 646A, not confirmed).
Open the deadline calculator →

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

Oregon after the one-year mark

The one-year deadline after the protection period gives Oregon owners some room: a car delivered in January 2025 with a chronic fault would have until early 2028 to go to court. The figure comes from a summary of the statute rather than the text, which our reader could not open, so check the chapter linked below.

Motor homes get double the days in Oregon, a nod to the long waits for parts on large vehicles. The Department of Justice’s page is the source of the tests shown here.

The Oregon lemon law at a glance

Checked in early November 2026. Dates of any archived copy are given in the last row.
LawOr. Rev. Stat. §§ 646A.400 to 646A.418
Protection period2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first
Repair attempts3 attempts on the same defect
Serious safety defect1 attempt for a serious safety defect
Days out of service30 calendar days
Written noticeDirect written notice to the manufacturer and an opportunity to fix the defect.
Dispute stepNot stated. Not stated on the Oregon DOJ page.
DeadlineLawsuit within 1 year after the protection period ends (summary of ORS 646A, not confirmed).
Use offset in a buybackNo formula in the text we read
Vehicles coveredNew vehicles bought or leased; motor homes need 60 calendar days out of service.
Used carsNot covered.
State pageOregon Department of Justice
Level of readingread on the official state page

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

    Direct written notice to the manufacturer and an opportunity to fix the defect.

    Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 646A.400 to 646A.418

  2. 2. Done · milestone

    Final repair attempt

    Oct 16, 2026

    No fixed number of days for this step in the Oregon 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. Not stated on the Oregon DOJ page.

    16 CFR 703.5(d)

  4. 4. Upcoming · milestone

    Accept, refuse or go further

    Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026

    Lawsuit within 1 year after the protection period ends (summary of ORS 646A, not confirmed).

Oregon: 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 Oregon?

The Oregon presumption starts at 3 attempts on the same defect, or 1 attempt for a serious safety defect, or 30 calendar days out of service in total, within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes 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 Oregon lemon law cover used or leased cars?

New vehicles bought or leased; motor homes need 60 calendar days out of service. 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 Oregon lemon law?

Not stated on the Oregon DOJ page. Time limit: Lawsuit within 1 year after the protection period ends (summary of ORS 646A, not confirmed). 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.

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