Mississippi · Lemon law · Updated Oct 2026
Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act (Mississippi Lemon Law) (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 63-17-151 to 63-17-165) protects buyers of new vehicles that can't be fixed. Here is what counts as a lemon in Mississippi, the notice you must send and what you can get back.
Within the warranty term or the first year (whichever ends first), your vehicle is presumed a lemon if substantially the same defect has been repaired 3 or more times and still exists, or if it has been out of service for repair of the defect for a total of 15 or more working days (not counting routine maintenance). Before you can use the law, you must notify the manufacturer in writing; it then names a repair shop and gets a final 10 working days after you deliver the vehicle to fix it.
Period: The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery to you, whichever ends first. It can be extended if a reported problem has not been fixed by the end of that time.
Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect. Manufacturers must list their zone or regional office addresses in the owner's manual. The statute does not require a specific mailing method; certified mail with a return receipt is a sensible way to prove it.
If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program that fully complies with federal rules (16 C.F.R. Part 703) and told you about it, you must use it before you can claim a refund or replacement. Mississippi has no state-run lemon arbitration. If you use the program, you have 90 days after its final decision to sue.
The manufacturer must let you choose either a comparable replacement vehicle acceptable to you, or a refund of the full purchase price plus reasonable collateral charges (such as dealer preparation, undercoating, transportation, towing, rental car and title charges). In either case it deducts a use allowance of 20 cents per mile you drove. Refunds are paid to you and any lienholder.
Attorney fees: Yes. If you finally win in court, the court may award your costs and expenses, including attorney fees based on actual time spent (Miss. Code § 63-17-159(7)).
Deadline: You must sue within 1 year after the express warranty ends or within 18 months after original delivery, whichever is earlier; if you used the manufacturer's dispute program, within 90 days after its final decision (Miss. Code § 63-17-159(6)).
Mississippi's lemon law is for new vehicles, but it also covers demonstrators sold with a manufacturer's warranty and later owners who receive the vehicle while the warranty is still in effect.
Most states require you to tell the manufacturer in writing and give it a last chance to fix the car. Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect. Manufacturers must list their zone or regional office addresses in the owner's manual. The statute does not require a specific mailing method; certified mail with a return receipt is a sensible way to prove it. 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 the warranty term or the first year (whichever ends first), your vehicle is presumed a lemon if substantially the same defect has been repaired 3 or more times and still exists, or if it has been out of service for repair of the defect for a total of 15 or more working days (not counting routine maintenance). Before you can use the law, you must notify the manufacturer in writing; it then names a repair shop and gets a final 10 working days after you deliver the vehicle to fix it.
The manufacturer's express warranty term or 1 year from original delivery to you, whichever ends first. It can be extended if a reported problem has not been fixed by the end of that time.
Before using the lemon law, you must give the manufacturer written notice of the need for repair so it has a final chance to fix the defect. Manufacturers must list their zone or regional office addresses in the owner's manual. The statute does not require a specific mailing method; certified mail with a return receipt is a sensible way to prove it.
If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program that fully complies with federal rules (16 C.F.R. Part 703) and told you about it, you must use it before you can claim a refund or replacement. Mississippi has no state-run lemon arbitration. If you use the program, you have 90 days after its final decision to sue.
The manufacturer must let you choose either a comparable replacement vehicle acceptable to you, or a refund of the full purchase price plus reasonable collateral charges (such as dealer preparation, undercoating, transportation, towing, rental car and title charges). In either case it deducts a use allowance of 20 cents per mile you drove. Refunds are paid to you and any lienholder.
You must sue within 1 year after the express warranty ends or within 18 months after original delivery, whichever is earlier; if you used the manufacturer's dispute program, within 90 days after its final decision (Miss. Code § 63-17-159(6)).
Mississippi's lemon law is for new vehicles, but it also covers demonstrators sold with a manufacturer's warranty and later owners who receive the vehicle while the warranty is still in effect.
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 law