Kansas's lemon law and your rights as a buyer

What the lemon law protects, what it doesn't, and what rights you keep when you buy used. With the state's exact deadlines.

This guide summarizes the recorded scope for Kansas (K.S.A. 50-645 a 50-646). Eligibility, deadlines and notice requirements depend on the law and applicable coverage; read the state conditions below, including used-vehicle conditions where relevant.

What it covers

New cars bought or leased in Kansas and registered for a gross weight of 12,000 pounds or less (K.S.A. 50-645(a)(2)). It does not cover customized parts added after the factory. Only the original purchaser or lessee counts as a "consumer"; it does not apply to purchases for resale.

Rights period: Whichever ends first: the warranty term or 1 year from original delivery. Reporting the defect inside that window is enough; repairs made afterwards still count (K.S.A. 50-645(b)).

When it is presumed a lemon

With actual notice to the manufacturer and any one of these three (K.S.A. 50-645(d)): the same defect was repaired four or more times and still exists; the car was out of service 30 or more calendar days for repair; or there were 10 or more attempts to repair defects that substantially impair use and value.

The presumption does not replace the other requirements. Check the official conditions and procedure for your situation.

The process

Report the defect to the manufacturer, its agent or the authorized dealer inside the period. If the manufacturer runs an informal dispute procedure that complies with 16 C.F.R. part 703, you must use it first: without that, the replacement-or-refund remedy does not apply. The Kansas Attorney General has jurisdiction to enforce the Act.

Who handles it: Kansas Attorney General — Consumer Protection Division.

Hotline: 1-800-432-2310 · (785) 296-3751.

What you get if you win

Replacement with a comparable vehicle under warranty, or return of the car with a refund of the full purchase or lease price, less a reasonable allowance for use (K.S.A. 50-645(c)). The refund is split between you and the lienholder as your interests appear. The statute does not say who chooses between the two.

What it does not cover

Used cars; vehicles registered for more than 12,000 pounds gross weight; and customized parts. The manufacturer can defend by showing the defect does not substantially impair use and value, or that it came from abuse, neglect or unauthorized modifications (K.S.A. 50-645).

I bought used: what do I have left

More than it seems, even if it isn't the lemon law:

• The Buyers Guide (FTC). The guide states the dealer warranty. "As Is" describes that warranty; it does not by itself resolve other state-law rights or remaining manufacturer coverage. The federal rule applies in 48 states (Maine and Wisconsin have their own equivalent rules). If the sale is conducted in Spanish, the dealer must post a Spanish-language Buyers Guide.
• Remaining manufacturer warranty. Check the warranty contract and its duration and transfer conditions; vehicle age does not guarantee coverage.
• In Kansas: The lemon law does not cover used cars. What you keep: the FTC Buyers Guide, any remaining manufacturer warranty, and the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, which the Attorney General enforces against deceptive practices (hotline 1-800-432-2310).