Nevada’s lemon law has been judged by at least one automobile association to be one of the weakest lemon laws in the United States. It’s better than nothing, but offers fairly limited protection to owners of autos, vans and light trucks. The law covers the vehicle for a maximum of one year; the coverage may expire earlier if the manufacturer’s warranty term is for a shorter period. Coverage is extended to the original purchaser of the vehicle only. Motor homes and vehicles designed for off road use are not covered by the statute.

Under Nevada law, a vehicle will qualify as a lemon if it meets the following conditions:

• It must be a vehicle intended for use on the highways, sold and registered within the state.
• The vehicle must covered under the manufacturer’s warranty AND be less than 12 months old.
• The vehicle must have a defect or nonconformity which affects the safety or use of the vehicle.
• The vehicle must be presented to the manufacturer for repairs and the defect must still exist after the manufacturer has been permitted a “reasonable” number of attempts to fix the problem.
• The state defines “reasonable” as four or more attempts to repair the problem during the warranty period.
• The vehicle may also qualify if it has been out of service for 30 or more calendar days due to repairs on the vehicle. This period may be extended if the manufacturer is unable to make repairs due to circumstances beyond its control, such as fire, flood, strike, war or invasions.

Should the vehicle qualify, the manufacturer should offer one of the following as a resolution to the problem:

• A replacement with a comparable vehicle of the same model with the same features as the defective vehicle.
• A refund of the purchase price. This refund should include the full price of the vehicle including sales taxes, registration and licensing fees and any incidental government charges. 
• The owner is permitted to choose between a refund or replacement. Should the manufacturer decline or refuse to offer compensation, the owner may evoke the lemon law statute.

While the warranty period covered by the law is for the first 12 months of ownership, the owner of the vehicle has 18 months from the date of purchase to apply for relief under the provisions of the law. Nevada requires owners to submit to arbitration, a process which tends to favor manufacturers. Should the vehicle owner prevail during the arbitration hearing or should the manufacturer fail to respond to the complaint, the owner will be entitled to relief. Relief will consist of either a suitable replacement vehicle or a refund of the purchase price along with taxes and license fees. This restitution is subject to an allowance for wear, tear and use of the vehicle.

That’s it in a nutshell. As we have noted, the Nevada lemon law is a relatively weak one. Furthermore, we were unable to find any information about this law on either the Website of the State of Nevada or the Website of Nevada’s Attorney General’s office.

If you are going through difficulties with your automobile, sport utility vehicle or van, you may find that you need an attorney. LegalMatch can help locate an experienced attorney for you in your area. Confidentiality is assured, all attorneys are licensed, and there is no charge to inquire.