. They also apply to personal watercraft and ATVs that are still under warranty and exclusively for personal use, as well as the chassis of motor homes. To be covered under the lemon law, the vehicle must have a nonconformity—that is, a defect that impacts the use or market value of the vehicle.

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What is a lemon law?

Lemon laws

are federal and state laws that protect consumers who have bought defective items, especially vehicles. Laws vary from state to state, but they all help compensate buyers whose vehicles don’t meet basic quality and performance standards.

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Is there a lemon law in Louisiana?

Yes, Louisiana's lemon law covers new motor vehicles purchased or leased in Louisiana. This includes personal watercraft and ATVs that are still under warranty and exclusively for personal use, as well as the chassis of motor homes.

The lemon law does not include the following:

Demonstrator vehicles

Motorcycles

RVs

Mobile homes

Vehicles must be used for transporting passengers or goods for public, private, commercial, or for-hire purposes to fall under the lemon law. If you’re buying a vehicle for personal, family, or household use, you’re covered.

Is my defect covered under the lemon law?

Louisiana’s lemon law covers vehicles with a nonconformity—a defect or malfunction that impacts the use or market value of the vehicle.

Vehicle malfunctions that are the result of neglect or misuse on the part of the consumer will not be covered under the state’s lemon law.

Key Takeaway Your car might be covered by Louisiana’s lemon law if it has a defect that impacts the use or market value of the car.

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Are used cars covered under the lemon law?

Yes, used vehicles are covered under Louisiana’s lemon law as long as they meet all the necessary conditions (which is usually unlikely).

If the vehicle changes ownership while it’s still under warranty, the lemon law will cover the new owner.

What about new cars?

Yes, Louisiana's lemon law covers new motor vehicles that are purchased or leased in Louisiana.

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How to pursue your lemon law rights in Louisiana

If you want to pursue your lemon law rights in Louisiana, you’ll need to inform the manufacturer, try to get your vehicle repaired, go through arbitration, and pursue legal action if necessary.

Requests and repairs

Lousiana’s lemon law covers nonconformities that were reported to the manufacturer within the duration of the warranty or within one year after the delivery of the vehicle, whichever comes first.

The manufacturer is allowed a reasonable number of attempts to fix the vehicle. In Louisiana, this is four attempts.

Be sure to keep all your repair receipts and invoices—you might need them later down the line.

The lemon law also covers vehicles that are out of service for repairs for a cumulative 45 calendar days. Louisiana’s lemon law provides rental reimbursement of up to $20 per day for the duration of the repairs—but the vehicle must be under warranty.

You’ll need to bring your vehicle into the dealer (the one you purchased it from) to repair the defect. To qualify for rental reimbursement, the car will need to be in the shop for 10 or more working days.

Arbitration

If your car is still not repaired, you’ll need to attempt arbitration, which is an informal settlement meeting. We recommend that you try to resolve the issue in arbitration as it’s faster and cheaper (it’s free!) than going to court.

Take legal action

If you’re still not happy, you can use the lemon law to request a refund or a replacement vehicle. Louisiana law requires that the manufacturer give the consumer a refund or deliver a replacement vehicle within 30 days.

You may also decide to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer. If you go this route, you’re best to hire an attorney who can guide you through the process and prevent any missteps that could weaken your case.

Keep in mind that even if you do everything perfectly, there’s no guarantee that you’ll come out on the winning side of your case.

Key Takeaway In Louisiana, you’ll have to go through arbitration to try to resolve your case before bringing it to court. Either way, be sure to keep all receipts from attempted repairs.

Lemon law tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you consider your lemon law case:

Your vehicle won’t qualify as a lemon if you made any

unauthorized modifications

to it or if it was damaged due to your own neglect, abuse, or misuse

Always take your car to an authorized manufacturer or dealership for repairs—and hang onto all the paperwork

Each time you take your car to the shop, use the same wording to describe the problem—lemon laws typically only apply to one problem that needs to be fixed, so the words you use matter

If the lemon law doesn’t seem to work in your case, check out the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

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