States
Pennsylvania lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What 73 P.S. §§ 1951 to 1963 (Automobile Lemon Law), amended by Act 151 of 2024 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 Pennsylvania lemon law tests?
Pennsylvania, November 5, 2026 read on the official state page
The presumption appears to be met
| Protection period | 1 year or 12,000 miles or the warranty term, whichever ends first: until January 5, 2027 or 12,000 miles. You are inside it. |
| Repair attempts, same defect | Met: needs 3, you have 3 |
| Days out of service | Not met: needs 30 calendar days, you have 12 |
| Notice | Written notice to the manufacturer if bringing the car to a repair facility is unreasonably difficult; contact the zone representative first. |
| Dispute step | The manufacturer’s dispute program, if one exists, binds the manufacturer but not you; without one you may sue at the outset. |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. 73 P.S. §§ 1951 to 1963 (Automobile Lemon Law), amended by Act 151 of 2024 · PennDOT
The Pennsylvania lemon law in detailPennsylvania’s Automobile Lemon Law, 73 P.S. 1951 to 1963, was amended by Act 151 of 2024, read on the General Assembly’s site on November 1, 2026. It protects a new vehicle bought for personal use and registered in Pennsylvania for one year, 12,000 miles or the warranty term, whichever comes first. According to PennDOT’s fact sheet, a car qualifies after three repair attempts on the same defect or 30 calendar days out of service in that period. Since the amendment took effect in May 2025, motorcycles are covered; motor homes and off-road vehicles are not. A manufacturer’s dispute program, where one exists, binds the manufacturer but not the owner. The refund allowance is limited to ten cents a mile or ten percent of the price, whichever is less, for use before the first report.
What notice does your state ask for?
Pennsylvania
Written notice
| Rule: Written notice to the manufacturer if bringing the car to a repair facility is unreasonably difficult; contact the zone representative first. | |
| Law: 73 P.S. §§ 1951 to 1963 (Automobile Lemon Law), amended by Act 151 of 2024 |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
What Act 151 of 2024 changed
The 2024 act brought motorcycles into the Pennsylvania law, with the same one-year protection, and set out the use allowance that a refund may deduct. It also requires the manufacturer to pay a refund within 30 days. Demonstrators sold as new remain covered.
Pennsylvania lets an owner go straight to court when the manufacturer has no qualifying dispute program, and an owner who uses one is not bound by its decision. PennDOT’s fact sheet suggests contacting the manufacturer’s zone representative first; its address is in the owner’s manual.
The Pennsylvania lemon law at a glance
| Law | 73 P.S. §§ 1951 to 1963 (Automobile Lemon Law), amended by Act 151 of 2024 |
| Protection period | 1 year or 12,000 miles or the warranty term, whichever ends first |
| Repair attempts | 3 attempts on the same defect |
| Serious safety defect | no separate test |
| Days out of service | 30 calendar days |
| Written notice | Written notice to the manufacturer if bringing the car to a repair facility is unreasonably difficult; contact the zone representative first. |
| Dispute step | Optional. The manufacturer’s dispute program, if one exists, binds the manufacturer but not you; without one you may sue at the outset. |
| Deadline | Not set in the text we read |
| Use offset in a buyback | At most 10 cents a mile or 10% of the price, whichever is less, for use before the first report (Act 151 of 2024). |
| Vehicles covered | New vehicles for personal use registered in Pennsylvania, including demonstrators and, since May 2025, motorcycles; not motor homes or off-road vehicles. |
| Used cars | Not covered. |
| State page | PennDOT |
| Level of reading | read 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
1. Done · milestone
Written notice reaches the manufacturer
Oct 16, 2026
Written notice to the manufacturer if bringing the car to a repair facility is unreasonably difficult; contact the zone representative first.
73 P.S. §§ 1951 to 1963 (Automobile Lemon Law), amended by Act 151 of 20242. Done · milestone
Final repair attempt
Oct 16, 2026
No fixed number of days for this step in the Pennsylvania 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. The manufacturer’s dispute program, if one exists, binds the manufacturer but not you; without one you may sue at the outset.
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.