States

Utah lemon law: when a new car is a lemon

What Utah Code §§ 13-20-1 to 13-20-8 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 Utah 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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Utah, 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 business days, you have 12
NoticeNot stated in the chapter.
Dispute stepA manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first (§ 13-20-7); a lawsuit also waits for the Division of Consumer Protection’s investigation (§ 13-20-6).

Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Utah Code §§ 13-20-1 to 13-20-8 · Utah Division of Consumer Protection

The Utah lemon law in detail

Utah’s lemon law, the New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act in chapter 20 of title 13 of the Utah Code, protects a new vehicle bought or leased during the warranty term or the first year after delivery, whichever ends first. The chapter presumes a reasonable number of attempts after four repairs of the same defect, or after 30 business days out of service in that period. It does not state a written notice step. A manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first, and a lawsuit also waits for the investigation of the Division of Consumer Protection. Road motorcycles and the chassis of a motor home are covered, up to 14,000 pounds, and trailers follow a separate mediation rule. We read the chapter on the legislature’s site, current through 2026, on November 1, 2026, and the division’s page in an archived copy of November 10, 2025.

What notice does your state ask for?

Utah

Written notice

RuleNot stated in the chapter.
LawUtah Code §§ 13-20-1 to 13-20-8
Build the notice letter →

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

Utah owners and the first year

With a one-year period and 30 business days, Utah sits with the stricter states. A car that spends six full working weeks at the dealer within its first year has met the days test; four failed repairs of one fault reach the presumption sooner for most owners.

The chapter sets no time limit to sue, so the general rules on warranty claims apply, and we did not read them. The refund allows a deduction for use before the first report and while the car is not out of service, with no formula.

Utah drivers often cross into neighboring states to buy. A car bought in Nevada, Idaho or Arizona may follow that state’s law, with its own period and deadline. The comparison tool on this site puts any two states side by side, so a buyer in Saint George or Logan can see both at once.

The Utah lemon law at a glance

Checked in early November 2026. Dates of any archived copy are given in the last row.
LawUtah Code §§ 13-20-1 to 13-20-8
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 business days
Written noticeNot stated in the chapter.
Dispute stepManufacturer program first. A manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first (§ 13-20-7); a lawsuit also waits for the Division of Consumer Protection’s investigation (§ 13-20-6).
DeadlineNot set in the text we read
Use offset in a buybackUse before the first report and while the car is not out of service, with no formula.
Vehicles coveredNew vehicles bought or leased, including road motorcycles and the chassis of a motor home, up to 14,000 lb. Trailers follow a mediation rule (§ 13-20-8).
Used carsNot covered.
State pageUtah Division of Consumer Protection
Level of readingread in the statute
What we readChapter 13-20 on the legislature’s site, current through 2026, read on November 1, 2026, and the division’s page in an archived copy of November 10, 2025. No time limit to sue appears in the chapter.

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

    Not stated in the chapter.

    Utah Code §§ 13-20-1 to 13-20-8

  2. 2. Done · milestone

    Final repair attempt

    Oct 16, 2026

    No fixed number of days for this step in the Utah 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. A manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first (§ 13-20-7); a lawsuit also waits for the Division of Consumer Protection’s investigation (§ 13-20-6).

    16 CFR 703.5(d)

  4. 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.

Utah: 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 Utah?

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

New vehicles bought or leased, including road motorcycles and the chassis of a motor home, up to 14,000 lb. Trailers follow a mediation rule (§ 13-20-8). 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 Utah lemon law?

A manufacturer dispute procedure must be used first (§ 13-20-7); a lawsuit also waits for the Division of Consumer Protection’s investigation (§ 13-20-6). 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.

Buyback calculator

Estimate a lemon law refund: price and charges, less the use offset your state sets, with the formula shown.

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