Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania (Automobile Lemon Law, Act of Mar. 28, 1984 (P.L. 150, No. 28), as amended by Act 151 of Nov. 18, 2024 (P.L. 1205), in force since May 18, 2025). 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 bought or leased and registered in Pennsylvania — or bought or leased elsewhere and registered here for the first time — for personal, family or household use, designed to transport up to 15 persons, with defects that substantially impair use, value or safety. It includes a car the maker or the dealer used as a demonstrator before selling it. Since May 18, 2025 the law also covers motorcycles (Act 151 of 2024).

Rights period: 1 year from delivery, 12,000 miles or the term of the manufacturer's warranty, whichever comes first. For a motorcycle: 1 year from delivery or the warranty term, whichever comes first, with no mileage limit.

When it is presumed a lemon

Three unsuccessful repair attempts for the same defect, or 30 or more cumulative calendar days out of service for repairs. A motorcycle has extra conditions: the attempts must use manufacturer-sourced parts; they must all happen at the same authorized facility, or you give the complete repair records to another authorized facility; and time the motorcycle spends in storage at the facility does not count toward the 30 days if you signed a written waiver or a storage contract.

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

The process

First contact the manufacturer's zone representative. If the maker has a qualifying informal dispute program, you must use it before suing; its decision binds the maker but not you. There is no state arbitration board: the next step is a lawsuit in the court of common pleas, where you can recover attorney fees and court costs.

Who handles it: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General — Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Hotline: 1-800-441-2555.

What you get if you win

Replacement with a comparable vehicle of equal value, or a refund of the full purchase or lease price including all collateral charges, at the buyer's choice. The usage offset cannot exceed 10 cents per mile or 10% of the price, whichever is less, and covers only use before your first report of the defect. If you choose the refund, the maker must pay it within 30 days.

What it does not cover

Used cars; motor homes, off-road vehicles and dual sport motorcycles driven off road; vehicles designed to transport more than 15 persons; defects that do not substantially impair use, value or safety; defects from the buyer's abuse, neglect or modifications (on a motorcycle, any modification made after delivery). Street motorcycles are NOT excluded as of May 18, 2025: Act 151 of 2024 brought them into the law. The Attorney General's Rights and Resources guide still says motorcycles are left out; that text predates the law now in force.

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 Pennsylvania: Mandatory title notice of brands and prior use (75 Pa.C.S. § 1106(b)). The Automotive Industry Trade Practices regulations require the contract to say "used" and describe prior use, ads to disclose flood damage and known major defects, and a car sold without warranty to carry an "As-is" notice. Complaints: the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection.