States
Tennessee lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What Tenn. Code title 55, chapter 24 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 Tennessee lemon law tests?
Tennessee, November 5, 2026 read on the official state page
The presumption appears to be met
| Protection period | 1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first: until January 5, 2027. You are inside it. |
| Repair attempts, same defect | Met: needs 3, you have 3 |
| Days out of service | Not met: needs 30 days, you have 12 |
| Also | The pages we read give no separate protection period: 1 year or the warranty term is taken from their deadline rule. |
| Notice | Written notice by certified mail; the manufacturer gets a chance to fix the car within 10 days (Attorney General’s guide). |
| Dispute step | If the manufacturer has an informal procedure that complies with FTC rules, the refund provisions wait until you have used it; its decision does not bind you. |
| File a lawsuit by July 5, 2029 (973 days left) | Lawsuit within 6 months after the later of 1 year from delivery or the end of the express warranty (Attorney General). |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Tenn. Code title 55, chapter 24 · Tennessee Attorney General
The Tennessee lemon law in detailTennessee’s lemon law is described by the Attorney General’s office and the Motor Vehicle Commission; we could not open the statute itself. According to those pages, a vehicle bought new qualifies when the manufacturer or dealer cannot repair the defect after three attempts, or when it is out of service for a total of 30 or more days. The owner must notify the manufacturer by certified mail, and the manufacturer then has a chance to fix the car within ten days. If it has an informal procedure that complies with FTC rules, the refund provisions wait until the owner has used it. A lawsuit must be brought within six months after the later of one year from delivery or the end of the express warranty. We read the Attorney General’s pages in archived copies of October 4 and August 31, 2026, and the commission’s brochure in an archived copy of September 2, 2025.
When is the last day to act?
File a lawsuit, Tennessee
March 5, 2029
| Days from today | 851 left |
| Rule: Lawsuit within 6 months after the later of 1 year from delivery or the end of the express warranty (Attorney General). | |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Later, not earlier, in Tennessee
Tennessee is one of the few states whose deadline runs from the later of two dates. An owner with a three-year warranty gets six months after the warranty ends, not after the first year. The deadline calculator on this site applies that rule with the warranty length you enter.
What the pages leave open
The state’s pages do not say whether the 30 days are calendar or business days, so this site says 30 days. They do not set out a separate protection period, and they differ on used cars: one speaks of a new vehicle or one still under warranty, another of vehicles bought new only. The Attorney General cites sections 55-24-101 to 112, which we could not check against the code. Read the current chapter before you rely on any of these points.
The Tennessee lemon law at a glance
| Law | Tenn. Code title 55, chapter 24 |
| Protection period | 1 year 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 days |
| Also | The pages we read give no separate protection period: 1 year or the warranty term is taken from their deadline rule. |
| Written notice | Written notice by certified mail; the manufacturer gets a chance to fix the car within 10 days (Attorney General’s guide). |
| Dispute step | Manufacturer program first. If the manufacturer has an informal procedure that complies with FTC rules, the refund provisions wait until you have used it; its decision does not bind you. |
| Deadline | Lawsuit within 6 months after the later of 1 year from delivery or the end of the express warranty (Attorney General). |
| Use offset in a buyback | No formula in the text we read |
| Vehicles covered | New vehicles. |
| Used cars | The state’s pages differ: one says a new vehicle or one still under warranty, another says only vehicles bought new. |
| State page | Tennessee Attorney General |
| Level of reading | read on the official state page |
| What we read | The Attorney General’s Consumer Laws page in an archived copy of October 4, 2026, its consumer guide in an archived copy of August 31, 2026, and the Motor Vehicle Commission’s brochure in an archived copy of September 2, 2025. The statute was not read: the Attorney General cites §§ 55-24-101 to 112, which we could not check against the code. |
From written notice to a decision
Certified mail, return receipt requested.
Earliest decisionbetween Oct 26, 2026 and Dec 5, 2026
1. Done · milestone
Written notice reaches the manufacturer
Oct 16, 2026
Written notice by certified mail; the manufacturer gets a chance to fix the car within 10 days (Attorney General’s guide).
2. Done · 10 days
Final repair window
Oct 26, 2026
A chance to fix the car within 10 days after the certified-mail notice (Attorney General’s guide).
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. If the manufacturer has an informal procedure that complies with FTC rules, the refund provisions wait until you have used it; its decision does not bind you.
16 CFR 703.5(d)4. Upcoming · milestone
Accept, refuse or go further
Oct 26, 2026 – Dec 5, 2026
Lawsuit within 6 months after the later of 1 year from delivery or the end of the express warranty (Attorney General).