The Idaho Motor Vehicle Warranties Act (Idaho Code § 48-901)

Idaho’s lemon law is the Motor Vehicle Warranties Act, Idaho Code § 48-901 to § 48-913. It pairs a 2-year / 24,000-mile Rights Period with a 4-attempt / 30-business-day presumption (plus a braking/steering one-attempt rule), caps the refund at 105% of MSRP, and — importantly — provides mandatory attorney fees under § 48-909.

The core promise

Section 48-903 requires the manufacturer to replace the vehicle with a comparable one or accept return and refund when it cannot conform the vehicle to the express warranty after a reasonable number of attempts. The manufacturer makes the initial election — but the consumer can reject a replacement and require a refund, which makes the remedy effectively consumer-controlled.

Who’s covered

Section 48-901 covers a new motor vehicle sold or licensed in Idaho for personal, family, household, or personal-business use.

Excluded:

• Motorcycles and farm tractors.
• Trailers.
• Vehicles over 12,000 lbs gross laden weight (a higher, more inclusive cap than the common 10,000-lb cutoff).
• Used vehicles (the Act applies to “new” vehicles).

Leased vehicles are covered under § 48-904, but with a refund-only remedy (no replacement option).

The 2-year / 24,000-mile window — inside a 3-year claim window

The Rights Period runs the express-warranty term or 2 years / 24,000 miles, whichever is earliest, from original delivery. But Idaho adds a distinctive extended window: a consumer can still obtain refund or replacement if a reasonable number of repair attempts occurs within 3 years of delivery, as long as the nonconformity was first reported during the express-warranty term. The 3-year statute of limitations under § 48-910 aligns with this.

The presumption: 4 attempts, 30 business days, or 1 for braking/steering

Section 48-903 presumes a reasonable number of attempts where, within the Rights Period:

• The same nonconformity has been repaired 4 or more times and persists; OR
• The vehicle has been out of service 30 or more business days; OR
• A complete failure of the braking or steering system likely to cause death or serious bodily injury has been subject to repair at least once and persists.

The braking/steering one-attempt rule is narrower than the general “serious safety defect” rules of Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia — Idaho limits it specifically to complete braking or steering failure. See repair-attempt presumption.

The notice-and-cure prerequisite

The presumption applies only if the manufacturer (or its agent/dealer) received prior written notification and an opportunity to cure (§ 48-903). A dealer receiving the notice must forward it to the manufacturer by certified mail. Even absent notice, the manufacturer is entitled to at least one cure opportunity.

The refund — capped at 105% of MSRP

Idaho’s refund formula is distinctive. The refundable amount may not exceed 105% of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (including manufacturer-installed options, and dealer-arranged options within 30 days of delivery). The refund includes:

• Purchase price (inclusive of any trade-in value).
• Sales/excise tax, license and registration fees.
• Towing and rental expenses from warranty downtime.

Reasonable-use offset: miles attributable to the consumer up to the arbitration hearing × purchase price ÷ 120,000. The 120,000-mile denominator is consumer-favorable (a smaller offset than a 100,000-mile denominator).

§ 48-909 — mandatory attorney fees

Section 48-909 lets an injured consumer bring a civil action and recover costs and disbursements, including reasonable attorney’s fees. Idaho courts treat lemon-law fee recovery as available to a prevailing consumer — and the ICPA’s § 48-608 fees are expressly mandatory (“the court shall award”). Together they make Idaho a strong fee state, comparable to New Mexico and stronger than Arizona or West Virginia. Fees incurred in informal dispute resolution are excluded. See attorney fees.

Mandatory Idaho informal dispute settlement mechanism

Under § 48-906, manufacturers doing business in Idaho must operate or participate in an informal dispute settlement mechanism located in Idaho. The § 48-903 refund/replacement remedy does not apply to a consumer who hasn’t first used the mechanism — unless the manufacturer allows suit without it. The decision is non-binding, with trial de novo in district court. See manufacturer arbitration.

How Idaho compares

Feature	Idaho	Arizona	West Virginia	New Mexico	Georgia
Enforcement	Court (after ID mechanism)	Court (after BBB if mandatory)	Court (after IDS if qualified)	Court (after IDS if certified)	State arb OR court
Same-defect attempts	4	4	3	4	3
Safety-defect attempts	1 (braking/steering only)	(none)	1 (any serious)	(none)	1 (any serious)
OOS threshold	30 business days	30 cal days	30 cal days	30 biz days	30 days
Rights Period	2 yr / 24K (3-yr window)	2 yr / 24K	warranty term or 1 yr	warranty term or 1 yr	24 mo / 24K
Remedy election	Mfr, consumer veto	Consumer	Consumer	Manufacturer	Consumer
Refund cap	105% of MSRP	none	none	none	none
Lemon-law fees	Mandatory § 48-909	Discretionary	Discretionary	Mandatory	Discretionary
State UDAP fees	Mandatory § 48-608	NONE	Conditional	Mandatory	Mandatory

Idaho stands out for mandatory fees in both statutes, the 105%-of-MSRP refund cap, the braking/steering-specific one-attempt rule, and the mandatory Idaho-located dispute mechanism.

Bottom line

The Idaho Motor Vehicle Warranties Act is consumer-favorable: a 2yr/24k Rights Period inside a 3-year window, a 4-attempt/30-business-day presumption with a braking/steering one-attempt rule, a 105%-of-MSRP refund, consumer veto over replacement, and mandatory § 48-909 fees. Pair it with the ICPA and Magnuson-Moss, and use the Idaho dispute mechanism first.

Related

Article

The Idaho Consumer Protection Act (ICPA)

How the Idaho Consumer Protection Act (§ 48-601) overlays the lemon law — actual damages or a $1,000 floor, discretionary punitive damages, mandatory § 48-608 attorney fees, and a $15,000-or-treble elderly/disabled enhanced penalty.

Read → Article

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in Idaho

How the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301) supplements Idaho's lemon law — federal-court access in D. Idaho, § 2310(d)(2) attorney fees, and a 4-year runway.

Read → Article

Idaho's Repair-Attempt Presumption (4 Attempts / 30 Business Days / 1 for Braking-Steering)

How Idaho presumes a reasonable number of attempts — 4 same-defect repairs, 30 cumulative business days out of service, or just 1 attempt for complete braking or steering failure, plus the notice-and-cure prerequisite.

Read → Article

Statute of Limitations for Idaho Lemon Law Claims

Timing rules for Idaho vehicle claims — the 3-year lemon-law SOL under § 48-910, the post-arbitration 3-month appeal window, plus the ICPA and Magnuson-Moss clocks.

Read →