Washington Lemon Law: How to File a Claim

Washington's lemon law is the Motor Vehicle Warranties Act, chapter 19.118 RCW. It covers new vehicles purchased or leased at retail in Washington. Tests (2 years/24,000 miles): the same nonconformity diagnosed or repaired 4+ times, the same serious safety defect 2+ times, 30+ days out of service, or 2+ different serious safety defects within 12 months. Disputes: Attorney General arbitration.

The complete, plain-English walkthrough — built from chapter 19.118 of the Revised Code of Washington and the Washington Attorney General's Lemon Law pages, not law-firm marketing. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Washington lemon law at a glance

• The law: the Motor Vehicle Warranties Act, chapter 19.118 RCW.
• Who runs disputes: the Lemon Law Administration in the Washington Attorney General's Office, through an arbitration board. There is no charge for the arbitration process.
• Eligibility period: the repair tests are measured inside a window ending 2 years after original delivery or at 24,000 miles, whichever comes first.
• The four tests: the same nonconformity diagnosed or repaired 4 or more times; the same serious safety defect 2 or more times; 30 or more cumulative calendar days out of service; or two or more different serious safety defects within 12 months.
• The hard deadline: your Request For Arbitration must be received within 30 months of the vehicle's original retail delivery date.
• The remedy: at your option, a replacement vehicle or a repurchase — purchase price, collateral charges, and incidental costs, minus a reasonable offset for use.
• Questions: Lemon Law Administration, 1-800-541-8898, [email protected].

What vehicles are covered

Washington's lemon law (chapter 19.118 RCW) covers a new motor vehicle that was originally purchased or leased at retail from a new motor vehicle dealer or leasing company in Washington. A "consumer" is a person who buys or leases such a vehicle other than for resale or sublease. Demonstrator and lease-purchase vehicles are covered, as long as a manufacturer's warranty was issued as a condition of sale.

You do not have to be the original owner. A later owner (a "subsequent transferee") who acquires the vehicle within the eligibility period, with an applicable manufacturer's written warranty, is also a consumer under the chapter — and the Attorney General confirms a later owner may request arbitration if the vehicle was acquired within two years of delivery to the original retail consumer and within the first 24,000 miles of operation.

• Motorcycles: covered only if the engine displacement is at least 750cc.
• Motor homes: covered for the self-propelled vehicle and chassis only. Portions designated, used, or maintained primarily as a mobile dwelling, office, or commercial space are not covered.
• Trucks: vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 19,000 pounds or more are not covered.
• Business fleets: vehicles purchased or leased by a business as part of a fleet of 10 or more vehicles at one time or under a single purchase or lease agreement are not covered.
• Armed forces: a member of the armed forces who is stationed or residing in Washington when requesting arbitration may use the chapter for a vehicle purchased or leased with a manufacturer written warranty in another state, if the vehicle otherwise meets the definition.

What counts as a defect. A "nonconformity" is a defect, serious safety defect, or condition that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle — meaning it renders the vehicle unreliable or unsafe for ordinary use, or drops its resale value below the average for comparable vehicles. Defects caused by abuse, neglect, or unauthorized modification or alteration are excluded. A "serious safety defect" is a life-threatening malfunction that impedes your ability to control or operate the vehicle for ordinary use, or creates a risk of fire or explosion.

A nonconformity you report during the eligibility period (or the applicable warranty period, if shorter) must be repaired even if the repair itself happens after the period expires. Report problems promptly and keep every repair order — by law, each warranty visit must end with a fully itemized, legible repair order showing the diagnosis, the work performed, the dates, and the odometer readings.

The four tests (plus motor-home tests)

The repair attempts happen within the eligibility period — the period ending 2 years after original delivery or at the first 24,000 miles, whichever occurs first. A "reasonable number of attempts" is presumed if any one of these four tests is met. For the first three tests, at least one attempt must occur during the period of the manufacturer's written warranty (for these tests, the written warranty is treated as lasting at least one year or 12,000 miles from original delivery, whichever comes first).

1. Four-times test (same nonconformity)

The same nonconformity has been subject to diagnosis or repair 4 or more times, and it continues to exist. Different defects don't combine under this test.

2. Two-times test (same serious safety defect)

The same serious safety defect has been subject to diagnosis or repair 2 or more times, and it continues to exist.

3. 30-calendar-day test

The vehicle was out of service by reason of diagnosis or repair of one or more nonconformities for a cumulative total of 30 or more calendar days — calendar days, not business days — with at least 15 of those days during the period of the manufacturer's written warranty. Days need not be consecutive, and different defects can combine here.

4. Two different serious safety defects in 12 months

Within a 12-month period, two or more different serious safety defects have each been subject to diagnosis or repair one or more times, with at least one attempt for each defect during the warranty period and within the eligibility period.

What counts as an attempt: presenting the vehicle for warranty service at a facility authorized, designated, or maintained by the manufacturer (or one the manufacturer or an authorized facility directed you to). A visit does not count if you refuse to allow a recommended warranty repair or demand the vehicle back before diagnosis or repair can be completed.

Motor homes: different tests, plus a final attempt

• The same serious safety defect diagnosed or repaired 1 or more times during the warranty period, plus a final attempt after the written notice described below, and the defect continues to exist; or
• The same nonconformity repaired 3 or more times (at least one during the warranty period), plus a final attempt, and it continues to exist; or
• The vehicle out of service a cumulative 60 calendar days (aggregating all motor home manufacturers' days), after the manufacturers have had an opportunity to coordinate an inspection and repairs following your written notice; or
• Within 12 months, two or more different serious safety defects covered by the same manufacturer warranty, each diagnosed or repaired one or more times.

Step 1: the written request to the manufacturer

For most vehicles, Washington sets no separate "notice of defect" step. The operative written step is your written request for repurchase or replacement, sent to the manufacturer's corporate, dispute resolution, zone, or regional office — the addresses are listed in your owner's manual. Once the manufacturer has been unable to fix the vehicle after a reasonable number of attempts, it must, at your option, replace or repurchase the vehicle within 40 calendar days of your written request.

The Attorney General recommends sending the letter by certified mail with a return receipt requested, and says it should include:

• Make, model, year, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN; 17 digits);
• An explanation of the problem(s);
• The name(s) of the dealership(s) where diagnosis and repair attempts were made, including the dates of the attempts.

The Attorney General advises allowing the manufacturer 40 days to respond in most instances; if it does not respond, or the response is unsatisfactory, you can submit the Request For Arbitration (Step 2). The LemonLawPath $29 packet includes a draft of this letter.

Motor homes: the extra final-attempt notice

Motor-home owners have an additional written step. After one attempt to repair a serious safety defect, or after three attempts to repair the same nonconformity, you must give written notification of the need for repair to each motor home manufacturer at its corporate, zone, or regional office address, so the manufacturers can coordinate a final attempt to cure the defect. Each manufacturer has 15 days from receipt to respond with the location of the facility where the vehicle will be repaired or evaluated, and the manufacturers then have a cumulative total of 30 days from delivery of the vehicle to that facility to conform it to the warranty. A manufacturer that fails to respond or perform in time is not entitled to a final attempt.

A parallel notice applies on the motor-home days-out-of-service path: once the vehicle has been out of service a cumulative 30 or more days, notify each manufacturer in writing so they can coordinate an inspection and repairs; once you deliver the vehicle to the designated facility, the inspection and repairs must be completed within 10 days or before the vehicle reaches 60 days out of service, whichever period is longer. Written notice of a serious safety defect in a motor home also counts as a request for a safety evaluation of the motor home.

Step 2: how to file for Attorney General arbitration

Washington disputes go to a state arbitration program run through the Lemon Law Administration in the Attorney General's Office. The Attorney General contracts with entities that serve as new motor vehicle arbitration boards and hear the disputes. There is no charge for the arbitration process.

1. Complete the Request For Arbitration form. Motor homes use a separate Motor Home Request For Arbitration form. Get a form by calling 1-800-541-8898, emailing [email protected], or downloading one from the Attorney General's Lemon Law pages.
2. Attach your documents: copies of your purchase or lease agreement, your title and registration documents, and copies of your vehicle's repair orders.
3. Meet the deadline: the request must be received by the Lemon Law Administration within 30 months of the vehicle's original retail delivery date — whether or not the manufacturer's 40-day response period has expired. For motor homes, the 30-month period is extended by the time the manufacturers take to complete the final repair attempt. Manufacturers must submit to arbitration when a timely request is accepted.
4. The Attorney General screens the request. Within 10 days of receiving a request, the Attorney General makes a determination and provides information about your rights and remedies; a request can be refused only where it clearly appears ineligible (for example, untimely, incomplete, or lacking a statement of a claim).
5. Hearing and decision. Once a dispute is accepted and assigned, the board has 45 calendar days to have an arbitrator hear the dispute and 60 days to submit a decision to the Attorney General. The manufacturer must give its response to you and the Attorney General within 10 calendar days of receiving notice of the assignment. At the hearing you may present testimony, witnesses, and evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and be represented by counsel.

One fee note: there is no filing fee for arbitration. The only "arbitration fee" in the chapter is a $3 fee collected at the time of sale or lease on vehicles that will be registered in Washington (RCW 19.118.110), which funds the program — you already paid it when you bought the vehicle.

Optional first step: if your manufacturer has an informal dispute resolution procedure that substantially complies with the federal rule (16 CFR Part 703), you may choose to submit your dispute there first — but you don't have to. Either way, you must exhaust the arbitration board remedy (or that procedure, if you chose it) before filing a superior court action.

After the decision: accept, reject, or court

• Accept or reject within 60 days. Send written notification of acceptance or rejection to the Attorney General within 60 days of receiving the board's decision. If you don't respond within 60 calendar days, that counts as a rejection.
• If you accept, the decision becomes final. The manufacturer then has 40 calendar days to comply, or 30 calendar days to file a petition of appeal in superior court. If neither happens, the Attorney General may impose a fine of up to $1,000 per day until compliance, up to a $100,000 maximum, unless the manufacturer proves the delay was beyond its control or acceptable to you in a signed written statement.
• If you reject, you have 120 calendar days from the date of rejection to file a petition of appeal in superior court.
• Court review is a trial de novo — a fresh trial of the arbitration decision, including a rejection. Either side may request one.

Chapter 19.118 states the 30-month arbitration deadline and the appeal windows above; it states no separate general deadline for filing a superior court action beyond them, and the arbitration remedy must be exhausted before any superior court action. If court is on the table, talk to a licensed Washington attorney promptly about timing.

The deadline that matters: 30 months

Two different clocks run under Washington's law, and mixing them up is the most common timing mistake:

• Eligibility period (for the repair tests): ends 2 years after original delivery or at 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. The attempts and days counted toward the tests fall inside this window.
• Arbitration deadline: your Request For Arbitration must be received within 30 months of the original retail delivery date. A claim can pass a repair test inside the eligibility period and still be lost by filing the arbitration request late.

Check your Washington lemon law deadlines →

Remedies: replacement or buyback

If the manufacturer cannot conform the vehicle to the warranty after a reasonable number of attempts, the choice of remedy is yours: the manufacturer must, at the consumer's option, replace or repurchase the vehicle.

• Repurchase (buyback): a refund of the purchase price (the cash price in your sales agreement; it includes any trade-in allowance and does not include a manufacturer-to-consumer rebate), plus all collateral charges and incidental costs, less a reasonable offset for use. For a lease, the refund covers all payments made under the lease — lease payments, trade-in value or inception payment, and security deposit — plus collateral charges and incidental costs, less the offset.
• Replacement: a new vehicle that is identical or reasonably equivalent to yours as it existed at original purchase or lease, including any service contract, undercoating, rustproofing, and factory or dealer installed options. The manufacturer is responsible for sales tax, license, registration fees, and a refund of incidental costs; you pay the offset for use.
• Collateral charges are sales- or lease-related charges such as sales tax, use tax, arbitration service fees, unused license, registration, and title fees, finance charges, prepayment penalties, certain insurance costs, transportation and dealer preparation charges, and charges for service contracts, undercoating, rustproofing, or factory or dealer installed options.
• Incidental costs are reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the repair of the vehicle, including towing charges and the costs of obtaining alternative transportation.
• The offset for use: the miles the vehicle traveled from the original purchase, lease, or in-service date until the date the first attempt to diagnose or repair the nonconformity began, multiplied by the purchase price, divided by 120,000. For a motor home the divisor is 90,000; for a motorcycle, 25,000. If a vehicle is repurchased or replaced solely because of accumulated days out of service, the miles counted stop at the 15th cumulative day out of service (the 30th day for motor homes).
• Attorney's fees: if the arbitration board awards remedies, it also awards reasonable costs and attorney's fees you incurred where the manufacturer was directly represented by counsel — in dealings over your repurchase/replacement request, in settlement negotiations, in preparing its statement, or at the hearing. A consumer who prevails in a superior court trial de novo recovers attorney's fees and costs incurred in that action.

Washington's remedies under this chapter are in addition to any other remedies provided by law. Our buyback calculation guide walks through the offset math in more detail.

When to talk to a lawyer instead

Washington's arbitration program is designed for consumers to use without a lawyer, and you are entitled to be represented by counsel at the hearing if you want. Use LemonLawPath to get organized, then talk to a licensed lemon law attorney — especially if:

• Your defect is a serious safety hazard;
• The manufacturer denied your claim or disputes the defect;
• Your 30-month arbitration deadline is close and you are unsure whether your request counts as received in time;
• You rejected an arbitration decision (or are thinking about it) and the 120-day court window is running;
• Anything about your case feels ambiguous.

Sources: RCW chapter 19.118 — Motor Vehicle Warranties · Washington Attorney General — Lemon Law