Nevada Lemon Law – 5 Things Consumers Need to Know

If you bought a new car in Nevada that turns out to be a lemon, the vehicle manufacturer is legally obligated to replace it or refund you your money. Nevada’s lemon law covers all defects that substantially impair the motor vehicle’s use and value as long as the problems did not result from your abuse, neglect or unauthorized modifications.

Here are five things to know about Nevada lemon laws (also called Nevada car return laws):

1. Nevada’s lemon definition has four parts:

For your new vehicle to qualify as a lemon under Nevada state lemon laws, the following four conditions must be true:

1. The motor vehicle has a problem that does not conform with its express warranty (“nonconformity“);
2. You report the problem(s) within one year of the car’s original delivery date to the first purchaser or prior to the express warranty’s expiration;
3. The car manufacturer is unable to fix the problem(s) within four tries (a presumed “reasonable number of repair attempts”) or within 30 days of the car being in the shop; and
4. The defective vehicle’s problem(s) substantially affect the car’s market value.

Note that these lemon laws do not apply to used cars, motor homes or off-road vehicles.¹

2. Lemons must be replaced or refunded

If your car is a lemon in Nevada, the manufacturer must replace it with a comparable automobile (identical model and features). If the manufacturer cannot replace your lemon vehicle, then it must refund you for the:

• buying price,
• taxes, and
• fees.

However, the manufacturer can deduct some money representing the time you used the car (“reasonable allowance”).²

3. It is your responsibility to initiate a lemon claim

If you believe your car is a lemon, you must notify your car dealership – in writing – of the defects.  This notification must occur:

• within one year of the car’s original delivery date to the first purchaser, or
• during the manufacturer warranty period;

The manufacturer likely has an entire division devoted to handling these complaints. If the manufacturer fails to resolve the issue through a buyback or replacing the car, only then can you initiate a formal lemon lawsuit.

Note that if you and the manufacturer went to arbitration – and you do not agree with the arbitrator’s decision – you can still file a lemon lawsuit.³

4. You have 18 months to bring a lemon lawsuit

The statute of limitations to bring a lemon lawsuit in Nevada is 18 months after the car was originally delivered to the buyer. Though you can only bring a lawsuit if you notified the manufacturer of the defect:

• within one year of the car’s original delivery date to the first purchaser, or
• prior to the applicable express warranty’s expiration.⁴

5. You can seek many types of damages in lemon lawsuits

If you win your lemon law claim, the court can award you compensatory damages to cover your economic and non-economic damages, such as:

• Cost of the car’s full purchase price, plus taxes and fees,
• Cost of repairs,
• Medical expenses (if the lemon caused injuries),
• Pain and suffering, and/or
• Any other out-of-pocket costs associated with the car.

In addition, the court can award you:

• Attorney’s fees, and
• Court costs.

If the manufacturer acted in a shocking or malicious way, the court can even award you punitive damages – which can far exceed your compensatory damages.⁵

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Legal References