Oklahoma’s lemon law applies to any vehicle of under 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight that is purchased for consumer use in the state of Oklahoma. The terms of the law are transferrable to subsequent owners should the vehicle be sold during the warranty period. The living quarters of motor homes are not covered by the lemon law.

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

• The vehicle must have a defect or nonconformity which substantially impairs the use and value of the vehicle.
• The vehicle must have been presented to the manufacturer so that they might correct the problem.
• The problem must still exist after the manufacturer has been granted a “reasonable” number of attempts to repair it. Oklahoma law defines “reasonable” as four or more attempts to repair the problem.
• The vehicle will also qualify if it has been out of service for a cumulative total of 45 calendar days due to unsuccessful repair attempts on the vehicle. This period may be extended if the manufacturer is unable to make the repairs due to circumstances beyond its control, such as strike, invasion, war, fire, flood or other natural disaster.

Under the terms of the defective vehicle law, a vehicle that qualifies as a lemon may be returned to the manufacturer for a replacement or a refund, at the manufacturer’s discretion. The compensation from the manufacturer may be adjusted to allow for wear and tear on the vehicle. Vehicles treated to abuse, neglect or unauthorized modifications are exempt from lemon status and do not qualify for replacement or refund.

Should the manufacturer opt to provide a refund, that refund must include the full purchase price including all taxes, license, registration fees and all similar governmental fees, excluding interest, less a reasonable allowance for the consumer's use of the vehicle.

If the manufacturer offers an informal dispute resolution program, such as arbitration, the vehicle owner must submit to this procedure. Otherwise, the lemon law does not apply.  More than likely, the results of the arbitration hearing will be binding upon the manufacturer, who must comply with the ruling of the arbitration panel. Generally, the vehicle owner is not required to comply with the ruling of the panel. This is not stated explicitly in the lemon law, however, and some states do require the owner to abide by the ruling. To be safe, we suggest that you contact the Attorney General’s office if you have questions about arbitration.

Oklahoma has a relatively weak lemon law when compared to those from other states. Many states have warranty periods that exceed one year, cumulative repair days of 30 days or less and allow the consumer to decide whether to accept a refund or a replacement vehicle. The Oklahoma legislature recently attempted to address this issue and strengthen the law in favor of consumers, but this bill was defeated after intense lobbying by the automotive industry.

If you are going through difficulties with your car, SUV or van, you may discover that you need legal representation. LegalMatch can help find an experienced attorney for you in your area. Confidentiality is guaranteed, all legal representatives are licensed, and inquiries are free.

 Details can be found the Oklahoma Lemon Law page