Ohio'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 Ohio (Ohio Revised Code §§ 1345.71–1345.78). 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 passenger cars, motorcycles and other noncommercial vehicles (load of up to 1 ton), bought or leased for personal use, with warranty-covered defects that substantially impair use, value or safety.

Rights period: The first year after delivery or the first 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. If you report the defect within that period, they must repair it even if the repair happens later.

When it is presumed a lemon

Three or more repairs of the same defect that continues or comes back; 30 or more cumulative days in the shop; eight or more attempts to repair any defect; or one failed attempt on a defect that could cause death or serious injury (R.C. 1345.73).

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

The process

Send a letter by mail with proof of delivery to the manufacturer with the defects, the repairs, the VIN and whether you want a replacement or a refund. If the manufacturer has an arbitration program recognized by the Attorney General, you must use it before suing; its decision binds you only if you accept it. After that you can go to court, within 5 years of delivery, and recover attorney's fees.

Who handles it: Ohio Attorney General — Consumer Protection Section.

Hotline: 800-282-0515.

What you get if you win

Replacement with a new car or a refund of the full purchase price, your choice: price, transportation, dealer prep, accessories, financing, warranty and service contracts, taxes and government fees, plus incidental costs such as towing or a rental car (R.C. 1345.72).

What it does not cover

Used cars more than one year old or over 18,000 miles; commercial vehicles; vehicles with more than a 1-ton load. Left out of the definition of "motor vehicle": recreational vehicles (RVs), mobile homes and manufactured homes (R.C. 1345.71(D)); in a motor home only the parts that are not the permanently installed sleeping, cooking and cold-storage facilities are covered. The maker has a defense if the defect comes from abuse, neglect or an unauthorized modification or alteration by anyone other than the maker or its authorized dealer (R.C. 1345.75(D)).

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 Ohio: If you bought used from a dealer that did not hold the title in its own name at the time of sale, you have an unconditional right to demand the dealer undo the sale and refund the full price in four cases: the dealer did not get the car titled in your name by the fortieth day after the sale, or the title comes back rebuilt salvage without written notice to you before you signed, or the title shows an inaccurate odometer disclosure by the dealer, or the title comes back "buyback" without that being in the written purchase agreement (R.C. 4505.181(B)). ⚠️ There is a deadline to notify the dealer: 60 days from the date the car was titled in your name in the 40-day case, and 180 days from that same date in the other three (R.C. 4505.181(C)); miss it and the right is gone. The state also keeps a Title Defect Recision Fund. If you bought used and the factory warranty is still running, you count as a "consumer" under the lemon law for as long as that warranty lasts (R.C. 1345.71(A)(3)). The Consumer Sales Practices Act (chapter 1345) bars deceptive practices; complaints go to the Attorney General. "As Is" means no warranty, and Ohio has no general right to return the car.