District of Columbia · Lemon law · Updated Oct 2026
District of Columbia Automobile Consumer Protection Act (D.C. Lemon Law) (D.C. Code §§ 50-501 to 50-510) protects buyers of new vehicles that can't be fixed. Here is what counts as a lemon in District of Columbia, the notice you must send and what you can get back.
Within 18,000 miles or 2 years (whichever comes first), your car is presumed a lemon if, after you reported the problem: (1) the same non-safety defect was repaired 4 or more times and still exists; (2) a safety-related defect (one that reduces your ability to control the car or creates a risk of fire, explosion, or other life-threatening malfunction) was repaired 1 or more times and still exists; or (3) the car was out of service for repairs of significant defects a total of 30 or more days. The defect must 'significantly impair' the car, meaning it makes it unreliable or unsafe or lowers its resale value below average.
Period: The first 18,000 miles or 2 years from delivery to the original buyer, whichever comes first. You must report the defect within this period.
Report the defect to the manufacturer, its agent, or its dealer within the 18,000-mile/2-year period. If you report it to the dealer, the dealer must forward written notice to the manufacturer by certified mail within 7 days. The law does not require you to send a separate notice yourself.
Before you can sue for a refund or replacement, you must first file a claim with the D.C. Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration. The Board decides within 5 business days whether to accept the claim and must issue a decision within 60 days of accepting it; it can award lemon law relief and attorney fees. If the Board rejects your case or you reject its decision, you can go to court (a party may ask the court for a new trial within 20 days of the decision).
Your choice of a comparable replacement vehicle or a refund of the full purchase price, including sales tax, license and registration fees, and similar government charges. The manufacturer may deduct no more than 10 cents per mile for miles you drove beyond the first 12,000, plus an allowance for damage not due to normal wear or to the defect.
Attorney fees: Yes in arbitration: the Board may award reasonable attorney fees. The lemon law does not separately address attorney fees in court.
Deadline: Any lawsuit under the D.C. lemon law must be filed within 4 years of the original delivery of the vehicle to the consumer (D.C. Code § 50-507(b)).
Used cars still within 18,000 miles or 2 years of original delivery count as 'new' under the lemon law. For other used cars, dealers must disclose in writing any known material mechanical defect and any known fire, water, or collision damage costing over $1,000 to repair, and whether they inspected the car; you can claim damages for violations, starting with the Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration (D.C. Code § 50-505).
Most states require you to tell the manufacturer in writing and give it a last chance to fix the car. Report the defect to the manufacturer, its agent, or its dealer within the 18,000-mile/2-year period. If you report it to the dealer, the dealer must forward written notice to the manufacturer by certified mail within 7 days. The law does not require you to send a separate notice yourself. 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.
Within 18,000 miles or 2 years (whichever comes first), your car is presumed a lemon if, after you reported the problem: (1) the same non-safety defect was repaired 4 or more times and still exists; (2) a safety-related defect (one that reduces your ability to control the car or creates a risk of fire, explosion, or other life-threatening malfunction) was repaired 1 or more times and still exists; or (3) the car was out of service for repairs of significant defects a total of 30 or more days. The defect must 'significantly impair' the car, meaning it makes it unreliable or unsafe or lowers its resale value below average.
The first 18,000 miles or 2 years from delivery to the original buyer, whichever comes first. You must report the defect within this period.
Report the defect to the manufacturer, its agent, or its dealer within the 18,000-mile/2-year period. If you report it to the dealer, the dealer must forward written notice to the manufacturer by certified mail within 7 days. The law does not require you to send a separate notice yourself.
Before you can sue for a refund or replacement, you must first file a claim with the D.C. Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration. The Board decides within 5 business days whether to accept the claim and must issue a decision within 60 days of accepting it; it can award lemon law relief and attorney fees. If the Board rejects your case or you reject its decision, you can go to court (a party may ask the court for a new trial within 20 days of the decision).
Your choice of a comparable replacement vehicle or a refund of the full purchase price, including sales tax, license and registration fees, and similar government charges. The manufacturer may deduct no more than 10 cents per mile for miles you drove beyond the first 12,000, plus an allowance for damage not due to normal wear or to the defect.
Any lawsuit under the D.C. lemon law must be filed within 4 years of the original delivery of the vehicle to the consumer (D.C. Code § 50-507(b)).
Used cars still within 18,000 miles or 2 years of original delivery count as 'new' under the lemon law. For other used cars, dealers must disclose in writing any known material mechanical defect and any known fire, water, or collision damage costing over $1,000 to repair, and whether they inspected the car; you can claim damages for violations, starting with the Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration (D.C. Code § 50-505).
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.