States
Wisconsin lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What Wis. Stat. § 218.0171 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 Wisconsin lemon law tests?
Wisconsin, November 5, 2026 read in the statute
Not yet: one more repair attempt
| Protection period | 1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first: until January 5, 2027. You are inside it. |
| Repair attempts, same defect | Not met: needs 4, you have 3 |
| Days out of service | Not met: needs 30 days, you have 12 |
| Also | Out-of-service days can include days at home when the car cannot be driven, under conditions set by the section. |
| Notice | Written notice with the state form MV2691 (Lemon Law Notice and Nonconformity Report). |
| Dispute step | If a procedure certified by the Department of Transportation is available to you, you must use it before suing (§ 218.0171(3)). |
| File a lawsuit by January 5, 2029 (792 days left) | Lawsuit within 36 months of delivery (§ 218.0171(7)). |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Wis. Stat. § 218.0171 · Wisconsin DOT
The Wisconsin lemon law in detailWisconsin’s lemon law, section 218.0171 of the Wisconsin Statutes, protects a new vehicle during the warranty term or the first year after delivery, whichever ends first. The section presumes a reasonable number of attempts after four repairs of the same defect, or after 30 days out of service in that period, without calling them calendar or business days. Wisconsin uses its own form for the notice: MV2691, the Lemon Law Notice and Nonconformity Report, sent to the manufacturer. If a dispute procedure certified by the Department of Transportation is available, the owner must use it before suing, and a lawsuit must come within 36 months of delivery. The refund deduction is at most the price times the miles before the first report, divided by 100,000. We read the section in archived copies of November 18, 2025, and February 2025, and the department’s page on November 1, 2026.
When is the last day to act?
File a lawsuit, Wisconsin
September 5, 2028
| Days from today | 670 left |
| Rule: Lawsuit within 36 months of delivery (§ 218.0171(7)). | |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Wisconsin’s form
Form MV2691 is the state’s template for the notice. It asks for the vehicle, the defect, the repair history and the remedy the owner wants. Keep a copy of the completed form and the mailing receipt with the repair orders.
Days at home can count
The out-of-service total can include days when the car is with the owner but cannot be driven, under the conditions the section sets. Read them before you count such days. The manufacturer has 30 days to refund, and longer for a replacement; vehicles above 10,000 pounds follow different timelines.
The deduction for a motorcycle uses a divisor of 20,000, not 100,000, so work it out by hand. The department says a used car is not considered a lemon, though a buyer to whom the car passes before the warranty ends is a consumer under the section.
The Wisconsin lemon law at a glance
| Law | Wis. Stat. § 218.0171 |
| Protection period | 1 year or the warranty term, whichever ends first |
| Repair attempts | 4 attempts on the same defect |
| Serious safety defect | no separate test |
| Days out of service | 30 days |
| Also | Out-of-service days can include days at home when the car cannot be driven, under conditions set by the section. |
| Written notice | Written notice with the state form MV2691 (Lemon Law Notice and Nonconformity Report). |
| Dispute step | Manufacturer program first. If a procedure certified by the Department of Transportation is available to you, you must use it before suing (§ 218.0171(3)). |
| Deadline | Lawsuit within 36 months of delivery (§ 218.0171(7)). |
| Use offset in a buyback | At most price × miles before the first report ÷ 100,000 (÷ 20,000 for a motorcycle). |
| Vehicles covered | New vehicles; heavier vehicles over 10,000 lb follow different timelines. The manufacturer has 30 days to refund, and more for a replacement. |
| Used cars | Not considered a lemon by the Department of Transportation; a buyer to whom the car passes before the warranty ends is a consumer under the section. |
| State page | Wisconsin DOT |
| Level of reading | read in the statute |
| What we read | Section 218.0171: subsections (1) to (4) in an archived copy of November 18, 2025, and (6) to (8) in archived copies of February 2025, with the Department of Transportation’s page read on November 1, 2026. |
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 with the state form MV2691 (Lemon Law Notice and Nonconformity Report).
Wis. Stat. § 218.01712. Done · milestone
Final repair attempt
Oct 16, 2026
No fixed number of days for this step in the Wisconsin 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. If a procedure certified by the Department of Transportation is available to you, you must use it before suing (§ 218.0171(3)).
16 CFR 703.5(d)4. Upcoming · milestone
Accept, refuse or go further
Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026
Lawsuit within 36 months of delivery (§ 218.0171(7)).