Qualifying for a refund or replacement under Georgia’s lemon law is a sequence, not a single filing. Each step has to be completed inside a deadline, and the consumer carries the burden of proving that every step was followed. This procedure sits inside the broader framework described in Georgia consumer protection laws and the Fair Business Practices Act, which the same office enforces.
Which vehicles the Georgia Lemon Law covers
The statute is the Georgia Lemon Law Act, O.C.G.A. §§ 10-1-780 et seq., administered by the Consumer Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Law. The Division’s implementing rules are published as Chapter 60-2-1 of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia.
Coverage turns on four conditions, all of which have to be true at the same time. The vehicle is a new motor vehicle. The person claiming the remedy is the original purchaser or lessee and still holds title. The vehicle was acquired for personal, family, or household use, or it is one of 10 or fewer vehicles a business acquires in a year (limousine rental services are excluded). And the problem is a defect covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, which the statute describes as a condition that makes the vehicle nonconforming to that warranty. The Division lists these eligibility requirements for the Georgia Lemon Law on its consumer pages.
Leased vehicles are covered. A lessee has an added obligation: written notice to the lessor at a specific point in the process, alongside the notices sent to the manufacturer.
Self-propelled motor homes are eligible, but only partly. The law reaches the chassis and the coach; defects in the living quarters and their appliances fall outside it. Repairs performed at a shop the manufacturer has not authorized do not count toward the process at all, and can void warranty coverage.
The lemon law rights period: 24 months or 24,000 miles
The lemon law rights period is the window in which the qualifying repair attempts have to happen. It runs for the first 24 months from the date of delivery or the first 24,000 miles of operation after delivery, whichever occurs first, as described by the Consumer Protection Division. Mileage is measured from the odometer reading at delivery, so a vehicle delivered with 15 miles on it reaches the threshold at 24,015. The remaining steps work differently. The written notices and the arbitration application in the Georgia Lemon Law process can be completed after the rights period expires, as long as the arbitration application is filed within the one-year window described below. ## How many repair attempts the manufacturer gets A repair attempt is the replacement or adjustment of a part or component to correct a defect, performed by the manufacturer or an authorized dealer or agent. An inspection or test drive with no repair work does not count on its own, though it counts if the consumer later proves repair work should have been done. Documentation is the repair order from each visit, which is why the lemon law process treats collecting those orders as a required habit rather than an optional one. Three routes satisfy the repair-attempt requirement: – **Three attempts** for an ordinary defect or condition that remains uncorrected. – **One attempt** for a serious safety defect, meaning a defect that is life-threatening or likely to cause bodily injury if not corrected. The consumer carries the burden of proving the defect is that dangerous, which is why many consumers with safety complaints continue through three attempts anyway. – **Thirty cumulative days out of service** for repair within the rights period. Days accrue from the day the vehicle is dropped off (if before close of business) through the day the work is finished, across one visit or several, for one defect or several. Weekends and holidays count while the vehicle is in the shop. The 30-day route replaces the attempt count rather than adding to it. A vehicle that hits 30 cumulative days out of service inside the rights period has met the repair-attempt requirement regardless of how many separate visits produced those days. ## The final repair opportunity notice After three attempts on an ordinary defect, or one attempt on a serious safety defect, the manufacturer is entitled to one more try. The consumer triggers it with a written Final Repair Opportunity Notice sent to the manufacturer at the address in the owner’s manual, by certified mail with return receipt requested or by overnight delivery. The receipt establishes the notification date, and every deadline that follows is counted from it.
Final Repair Opportunity Notice (Georgia Lemon Law, Form A)
From Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division
URL verified July 2026
Frequently asked questions
Does the Georgia lemon law cover used cars?
No. The Act applies to new motor vehicles, and the claimant has to be the original purchaser or lessee who still holds title. A used vehicle still inside the original manufacturer’s warranty and inside the 24-month, 24,000-mile rights period can qualify only if the person bringing the claim is that original purchaser or lessee. Buyers of used vehicles rely instead on the terms of any remaining manufacturer’s warranty, dealer warranties, and general warranty law.
What happens if the dealer refuses to give me the repair orders?
Repair orders are the proof that a repair attempt happened and that the vehicle was out of service. The Consumer Protection Division directs consumers who cannot get copies to write the dealership’s CEO, president, or general manager by certified mail, return receipt requested, asking for the copies within ten days of receipt of the letter. The certified mail receipt documents both the request and the date.
Can I file for lemon law arbitration after the 24 months are up?
Yes, within limits. The qualifying repair attempts must occur inside the rights period, but the final repair notice, the repurchase or replacement request, and the arbitration application can all be completed afterward. The outer limit is one year from the date the rights period expired.
Does an arbitration award have to be accepted?
The consumer decides whether to accept the award. Georgia’s arbitration rules require the arbitrator’s decision to describe the relief awarded and itemize any refund, incidental costs, collateral charges, or offset for use, so the terms are set out in writing before that decision is made. A consumer who rejects the award retains other legal remedies, including a warranty action in court.
Is a warning light or an intermittent problem enough for a lemon law claim?
The test is whether the condition makes the vehicle nonconforming to the manufacturer’s warranty and remains uncorrected after the required attempts. Intermittent defects are covered, but they are harder to document, because each visit needs a repair order showing that the dealer worked on that specific condition. A defect that recurs after the final repair attempt lets the consumer resume the process at the repurchase or replacement request.
Sources
- Georgia Lemon Law overview and eligibility (Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division)
- The Georgia Lemon Law process, Steps 1 through 5
- Statutes enforced by the Consumer Protection Division, including the Georgia Lemon Law Act (O.C.G.A. §§ 10-1-780 et seq.)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 60-2-1, Georgia Lemon Law rules
- Final Repair Opportunity Notice form
- 15 U.S.C. § 2310, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act remedies in consumer disputes