North Dakota · Lemon law · Updated Oct 2026
North Dakota Lemon Law (duty of manufacturer to repair, replace or refund defective passenger motor vehicles) (N.D. Cent. Code §§ 51-07-16 to 51-07-22) protects buyers of new vehicles that can't be fixed. Here is what counts as a lemon in North Dakota, the notice you must send and what you can get back.
Your car is presumed a lemon if the same defect is still there after the dealer or manufacturer has tried to fix it more than three times (so at least 4 tries), or if the car was out of service for repairs for a total of at least 30 business days, counted within the warranty term or the first year, whichever is shorter. The presumption only applies if the manufacturer first got direct notice from you (or someone acting for you) and a chance to fix the defect.
Period: You must report the defect during the manufacturer's express warranty or within 1 year of original delivery, whichever ends first. There is no mileage limit in the law.
Before you can rely on the presumption, the manufacturer itself must have received direct notification from you or on your behalf and a chance to cure the defect (N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-19(3)). The law does not set a form or require certified mail, but sending a dated letter to the manufacturer by certified mail gives you proof.
If the manufacturer runs or takes part in a dispute program that meets the FTC rules (16 CFR Part 703), you must use it before you can get a refund or replacement under the lemon law. If you ask for an in-person hearing, it must be held in your home state. North Dakota has no state-run lemon law arbitration program.
The manufacturer must replace the vehicle with a comparable one, or take it back and refund the full purchase price including all collateral charges. It may deduct a reasonable allowance for your use: no more than 10 cents per mile or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less, counting only miles you drove before first reporting the defect and while the car was not in for repair. For a lease, you get back all lease payments, cash payments, security deposit and trade-in allowance (minus a use allowance), and the lease ends with no early-termination penalty.
Attorney fees: The North Dakota lemon law sections do not include a provision for recovering attorney fees.
Deadline: You must file suit within 6 months after whichever comes first: the end of the express warranty, or 18 months after original delivery (N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-21). So the latest possible deadline is 24 months after delivery.
The lemon law covers new vehicles only. The Attorney General's fact sheet says used-car buyers have little protection unless they bought an extended warranty or can prove the seller lied about the car's condition.
Most states require you to tell the manufacturer in writing and give it a last chance to fix the car. Before you can rely on the presumption, the manufacturer itself must have received direct notification from you or on your behalf and a chance to cure the defect (N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-19(3)). The law does not set a form or require certified mail, but sending a dated letter to the manufacturer by certified mail gives you proof. 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 the same defect is still there after the dealer or manufacturer has tried to fix it more than three times (so at least 4 tries), or if the car was out of service for repairs for a total of at least 30 business days, counted within the warranty term or the first year, whichever is shorter. The presumption only applies if the manufacturer first got direct notice from you (or someone acting for you) and a chance to fix the defect.
You must report the defect during the manufacturer's express warranty or within 1 year of original delivery, whichever ends first. There is no mileage limit in the law.
Before you can rely on the presumption, the manufacturer itself must have received direct notification from you or on your behalf and a chance to cure the defect (N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-19(3)). The law does not set a form or require certified mail, but sending a dated letter to the manufacturer by certified mail gives you proof.
If the manufacturer runs or takes part in a dispute program that meets the FTC rules (16 CFR Part 703), you must use it before you can get a refund or replacement under the lemon law. If you ask for an in-person hearing, it must be held in your home state. North Dakota has no state-run lemon law arbitration program.
The manufacturer must replace the vehicle with a comparable one, or take it back and refund the full purchase price including all collateral charges. It may deduct a reasonable allowance for your use: no more than 10 cents per mile or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less, counting only miles you drove before first reporting the defect and while the car was not in for repair. For a lease, you get back all lease payments, cash payments, security deposit and trade-in allowance (minus a use allowance), and the lease ends with no early-termination penalty.
You must file suit within 6 months after whichever comes first: the end of the express warranty, or 18 months after original delivery (N.D. Cent. Code § 51-07-21). So the latest possible deadline is 24 months after delivery.
The lemon law covers new vehicles only. The Attorney General's fact sheet says used-car buyers have little protection unless they bought an extended warranty or can prove the seller lied about the car's condition.
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