Missouri'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 Missouri (RSMo §§ 407.560 a 407.579). 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 vehicles, sold for the first time by the manufacturer or a franchised dealer, never titled before, for personal, family or household use. Includes demonstrators and lease-purchase vehicles if a manufacturer warranty was issued.

Rights period: The express warranty or one year from delivery to the first owner, whichever ends first. If you reported the defect within that time and it is still not fixed, the period is extended. A lawsuit must be filed within 6 months after the warranty ends or 18 months from delivery, whichever comes first (90 days after the manufacturer program's decision, if you used it).

When it is presumed a lemon

Four or more repairs of the same defect that is still there, or 30 cumulative working days out of service (not counting routine maintenance). First you must notify the manufacturer in writing; it then names a franchised repair facility and has 10 calendar days, counted from when you deliver the car there, to bring it into conformity with the warranty (RSMo § 407.573.2).

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

The process

Written notice to the manufacturer and a final repair attempt. If the manufacturer has an informal dispute program that meets federal rule 16 CFR 703, you must use it first. Then a lawsuit in court; if you win, the judge can order the manufacturer to pay your attorney fees.

Who handles it: Missouri Attorney General — Consumer Protection (Missouri no tiene junta estatal de arbitraje de lemon law).

Hotline: 800-392-8222.

What you get if you win

At the manufacturer's choice: a comparable new car or a refund of the full price with reasonable collateral charges, minus a reasonable allowance for use.

What it does not cover

Motorcycles; recreational vehicles (except chassis, engine and powertrain); commercial vehicles, off-road vehicles, mopeds and electric bicycles; used cars outside the period; purchases for resale. The law sets no weight limit: what excludes a truck is being used as a commercial motor vehicle, not how much it weighs (RSMo § 407.560(6)).

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 Missouri: Missouri's lemon law is for new cars only. When buying used you are protected by: the Merchandising Practices Act, which bans deception and hiding important facts (RSMo § 407.020), with complaints to the Attorney General; the implied warranty, unless the seller excludes it in a visible written statement, for example "As Is" (RSMo § 400.2-316); and the duty to disclose a junking certificate in writing (RSMo § 301.227).