Illinois Lemon Law

Illinois’s lemon law is called the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act, codified at 815 ILCS 380. It’s a court-driven framework — there’s no Illinois state administrative arbitration program (unlike Florida’s NMVA Board or New York’s AG arbitration). Consumers can choose between voluntary BBB Auto Line (if the manufacturer participates) or filing a lawsuit in Illinois state court.

This page is the hub for our Illinois coverage. Use the topic guides for deeper reading:

• The Law — The Illinois New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act, the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (ICFA), Magnuson-Moss, repair-attempt presumption, and statute of limitations.
• The Process — Documented repair attempts, manufacturer notice, court action, and ICFA-parallel claims.
• Remedies — Refund, replacement, ICFA treble damages, and attorney-fee recovery.
• Qualifying Defects — Defect categories that meet Illinois’s “substantially impair” test.
• Vehicle Types — Used vehicles, leases, EVs, motorcycles, RVs, and commercial vehicles.
• Manufacturers — Common case patterns by brand in the Illinois market.
• FAQ — Common questions about Illinois lemon-law claims.

Who’s protected

Illinois’s New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act covers:

• New motor vehicles purchased or leased in Illinois for personal, family, or household use, with GVW under 8,000 lbs.
• Demonstrators sold under new-vehicle warranties.
• Subsequent transferees within the warranty period.

Vehicles used primarily for commercial purposes are excluded. The statute also excludes motorcycles, motor homes, and certain off-road vehicles from primary coverage — those buyers rely on the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and Magnuson-Moss.

The 12-month / 12,000-mile statutory warranty period

Illinois’s statutory warranty period is 12 months from delivery OR 12,000 miles, whichever first — the period during which the defect must arise and the repair attempts must occur. This is shorter than most major states — California, Texas, Florida, and New York all provide longer periods. Separately, any Lemon Law suit must be commenced within 18 months of original delivery (815 ILCS 380/3).

Within the statutory warranty period:

• Lemon Law refund or replacement is available.
• Manufacturer arbitration (BBB Auto Line) is optional.
• Court action can be filed.
• Parallel ICFA and Magnuson-Moss claims remain available.

Once the 18-month suit-commencement deadline passes, the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act is closed, but ICFA (3-year limit) and Magnuson-Moss (4-year limit) civil-court actions still apply.

The “reasonable number of attempts” test

Illinois applies thresholds under 815 ILCS 380/3:

• Four or more repair attempts for the same nonconformity; OR
• 30 or more cumulative business days out of service for repair.

The statute counts business days, not calendar days. The consumer must give the manufacturer written notice and a final opportunity to repair. If the presumption is established, the manufacturer elects whether to provide a replacement or a refund. See our repair-attempt presumption article.

What you can recover

A successful Illinois Lemon Law case typically produces:

• Refund — purchase price, taxes, fees, financing charges, minus reasonable use deduction.
• Replacement — comparable new vehicle.
• Reimbursement of incidental damages.

Notably, the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act itself does NOT include statutory attorney-fee shifting (unlike California’s § 1794(d) or New York’s § 198-a(l)).

Attorney fees come from parallel claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (815 ILCS 505/10a(c)) or Magnuson-Moss.

The ICFA two-track approach

Most experienced Illinois lemon-law strategy combines:

• New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act for refund or replacement.
• Illinois Consumer Fraud Act for treble damages and attorney fees.

ICFA actions in civil court provide:

• Actual damages.
• Treble damages for willful violations.
• Mandatory attorney fees under 815 ILCS 505/10a(c).

This combination is what makes Illinois lemon-law cases economically viable for consumers and the lemon-law plaintiff’s bar.

What to do next

If you think you might have an Illinois lemon:

1. Document everything. Keep every repair order. See our evidence guide.
2. Stay within the 12-month / 12,000-mile window. This is tight — don’t delay.
3. Send written notice to the manufacturer. See how to file a claim.
4. Decide between BBB Auto Line and court action — court action with parallel ICFA claims typically produces better outcomes.
5. Get a free case review from an Illinois lemon-law attorney.

Explore Illinois lemon law

Topic

The Law: Illinois Lemon Law and ICFA

The statutes behind an Illinois lemon-law claim — the New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act (815 ILCS 380), the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act (815 ILCS 505), Magnuson-Moss, and timing rules.

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The Illinois Lemon Law Process

Step-by-step: how an Illinois lemon-law case moves from repair attempts through manufacturer notice, BBB Auto Line arbitration (optional), court action, and settlement.

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Illinois Lemon Law Remedies

What you can recover under Illinois's lemon-law framework — refund, replacement, cash-and-keep settlements, ICFA treble damages, and ICFA attorney-fee recovery.

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Qualifying Defects Under Illinois Lemon Law

What kinds of vehicle defects qualify for an Illinois Lemon Law refund — the substantial-impairment test under 815 ILCS 380 and common defect categories.

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Vehicle Types Covered by Illinois Lemon Law

How Illinois's Lemon Law applies to used cars, leases, EVs, motorcycles, RVs, and commercial vehicles.

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Illinois Lemon Law Cases by Manufacturer

How the Illinois Lemon Law and ICFA apply to specific manufacturers — characteristic defect patterns, TSB histories, and settlement dynamics.

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Illinois Lemon Law — Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most-asked questions about Illinois's Lemon Law and ICFA.

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