Arkansas · Lemon law · Updated Oct 2026
Arkansas New Motor Vehicle Quality Assurance Act (Arkansas Lemon Law) (Ark. Code Ann. §§ 4-90-401 to 4-90-417) protects buyers of new vehicles that can't be fixed. Here is what counts as a lemon in Arkansas, the notice you must send and what you can get back.
Your car is presumed a lemon if, during the quality assurance period: (1) the same defect was repaired 3 times, you then gave the manufacturer a final repair chance, and it still is not fixed; (2) a defect likely to cause death or serious injury was repaired once, you gave the manufacturer a final repair chance, and it still is not fixed; (3) the car was out of service for repairs a total of 30 calendar days; or (4) there were 5 or more repair attempts on separate occasions for any defects that together substantially impair the car's use and value. For the final repair chance, the manufacturer has 10 days after your letter to offer a nearby repair shop and then 10 days to fix the car; if it misses either deadline, the final chance is waived.
Period: The 'motor vehicle quality assurance period' is 24 months from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever is LATER. A replacement vehicle gets a new period starting on its delivery date.
After 3 repair attempts on the same defect (or 1 attempt on a defect likely to cause death or serious injury), send a written letter by certified or registered mail to the manufacturer (not the dealer) giving it a final chance to repair. You must also notify the manufacturer of your claim if it disclosed that requirement to you in writing when you bought or leased the car. The Attorney General's guide includes sample letters.
Every manufacturer must run or join an informal dispute program located in Arkansas and certified by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, and you generally must use it before suing for a refund or replacement. It is free to you; your claim should be heard and decided within 40 days, you can have an in-person hearing in Arkansas, and the decision binds the manufacturer only if you accept it.
You have an unconditional right to choose a refund instead of a replacement. A refund covers the full purchase price (including any trade-in allowance) plus collateral charges such as manufacturer- or dealer-installed items, earned finance charges, sales tax, title charges, and manufacturer extended warranties, plus incidental costs like towing and rental cars caused by the defect. The manufacturer may subtract a use offset: price paid × (miles before you first brought the car in for the defect ÷ 120,000), and an offset for physical damage. Lessees get back what they paid minus the use offset, and the lease ends with no early-termination penalty. The manufacturer must act within 40 days, and you may keep using the car until you get your refund or replacement.
Attorney fees: Yes. A consumer who wins is entitled to costs and expenses, including attorney fees based on the time the attorney actually spent.
Deadline: File suit within 2 years after you first report the defect to the manufacturer or dealer; if you start the informal dispute program, the 2 years run from when that program begins (Ark. Code Ann. § 4-90-416).
The lemon law covers only new or previously untitled vehicles, so used cars are not covered. Arkansas has no separate used-car lemon law.
Most states require you to tell the manufacturer in writing and give it a last chance to fix the car. After 3 repair attempts on the same defect (or 1 attempt on a defect likely to cause death or serious injury), send a written letter by certified or registered mail to the manufacturer (not the dealer) giving it a final chance to repair. You must also notify the manufacturer of your claim if it disclosed that requirement to you in writing when you bought or leased the car. The Attorney General's guide includes sample letters. Fill this in, copy the letter, sign it and send it by certified mail with return receipt. Keep a copy. Nothing you type here is sent to us; the letter is made in your browser.
Your car is presumed a lemon if, during the quality assurance period: (1) the same defect was repaired 3 times, you then gave the manufacturer a final repair chance, and it still is not fixed; (2) a defect likely to cause death or serious injury was repaired once, you gave the manufacturer a final repair chance, and it still is not fixed; (3) the car was out of service for repairs a total of 30 calendar days; or (4) there were 5 or more repair attempts on separate occasions for any defects that together substantially impair the car's use and value. For the final repair chance, the manufacturer has 10 days after your letter to offer a nearby repair shop and then 10 days to fix the car; if it misses either deadline, the final chance is waived.
The 'motor vehicle quality assurance period' is 24 months from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever is LATER. A replacement vehicle gets a new period starting on its delivery date.
After 3 repair attempts on the same defect (or 1 attempt on a defect likely to cause death or serious injury), send a written letter by certified or registered mail to the manufacturer (not the dealer) giving it a final chance to repair. You must also notify the manufacturer of your claim if it disclosed that requirement to you in writing when you bought or leased the car. The Attorney General's guide includes sample letters.
Every manufacturer must run or join an informal dispute program located in Arkansas and certified by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, and you generally must use it before suing for a refund or replacement. It is free to you; your claim should be heard and decided within 40 days, you can have an in-person hearing in Arkansas, and the decision binds the manufacturer only if you accept it.
You have an unconditional right to choose a refund instead of a replacement. A refund covers the full purchase price (including any trade-in allowance) plus collateral charges such as manufacturer- or dealer-installed items, earned finance charges, sales tax, title charges, and manufacturer extended warranties, plus incidental costs like towing and rental cars caused by the defect. The manufacturer may subtract a use offset: price paid × (miles before you first brought the car in for the defect ÷ 120,000), and an offset for physical damage. Lessees get back what they paid minus the use offset, and the lease ends with no early-termination penalty. The manufacturer must act within 40 days, and you may keep using the car until you get your refund or replacement.
File suit within 2 years after you first report the defect to the manufacturer or dealer; if you start the informal dispute program, the 2 years run from when that program begins (Ark. Code Ann. § 4-90-416).
The lemon law covers only new or previously untitled vehicles, so used cars are not covered. Arkansas has no separate used-car lemon law.
Car not covered, or the period has passed? Federal warranty law may still help, and small claims court can handle smaller repair bills.
Federal warranty lawLast checked: Oct 2026.