Lemon Law Deadlines in Ohio
A defective vehicle disrupts every aspect of your life. Between playing telephone tag with the dealership, to time spent waiting on repairs, plus the added stress of having unreliable transportation, your lemon puts you at a disadvantage. And not only that, you have deadlines to contend with to get this situation resolved.
What are the lemon law deadlines in Ohio?
In Ohio, defects must be reported within the first 12 months or 18,000 miles of owning your vehicle. You can file a claim up to five years from the original delivery date of your vehicle.
Deadlines can be confusing. If you started to get repairs on the vehicle at 6 months and those repairs extend past the 12 month deadline, that is still eligible as a lemon law claim. As long as the repairs started and were documented in that timeframe, you may be covered.
Some of the common issues that trigger lemon law claims in Ohio, particularly for 2025 models, include software glitches, battery issues and powertrain malfunctions and failures.
While the above are common, lemon law also includes issues with engines, transmission, fluid leaks, steering, suspension and sometimes even your infotainment system and sunroof.
How rare is buying a lemon?
Not as rare you might think. An estimated 150,000 new cars, which is about 1% of all new vehicles sold, are considered lemons nationwide each year.
What types of vehicles are covered?
Ohio covers new vehicles, leased vehicles, motorcycles, and even preowned vehicles (so long as the first reported problem during your ownership was reported within 12 months or 18,000 miles from the ORIGINAL in service date).
If you missed the lemon law deadline, don’t give up hope, you do still have options. In Ohio, there is an act called the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act. It “prohibits suppliers from committing unfair, deceptive, or unconscionable acts in consumer transactions before, during, or after a sale. It allows consumers to sue for damages, rescind contracts, and recover attorney fees for violations, protecting individuals in most personal or household purchases.”
If you’ve experienced issues with your vehicle, are frustrated with ongoing repairs, or just have questions you want to discuss, don’t hesitate to reach out.
At Jeffries Law we’ve helped thousands of clients resolve their lemon dilemma, not only in Ohio, but also across Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and North Carolina. Visit this link for a free case consultation. We will work with you to build a case (within those important deadlines) and we will work to get you results. We stand behind what we say. Check out some of our actual results.