Vehicle Types Covered by Illinois Lemon Law

Illinois’s Lemon Law is a new-vehicle statute at its core. 815 ILCS 380 covers new motor vehicles for personal/family/household use with GVW under 8,000 lbs — within the tight 12-month / 12,000-mile window.

Topics in this section

• Used vehicles — Covered when within the original warranty AND the 12-month / 12,000-mile window.
• Leased vehicles — Lessees have standing.
• Electric vehicles — Fully covered.
• Motorcycles — Limited coverage; ICFA may apply.
• Recreational vehicles (RVs) — Limited coverage; chassis-vs-coach distinctions.
• Commercial vehicles — Limited coverage; ICFA may apply.

What’s distinctive about Illinois

Illinois Lemon Law has narrower coverage than California’s Song-Beverly Act or New York’s § 198-a/198-b:

• Motorcycles excluded from primary coverage.
• Motor homes have limited coverage.
• Vehicles over 8,000 lbs GVW excluded.
• Commercial-use vehicles generally excluded.

For excluded vehicles, ICFA and Magnuson-Moss provide alternative civil-court remedies.

How to know if your vehicle is covered

For most Illinois consumers, the answer is yes — within the 12-month / 12,000-mile window. The narrow exceptions:

• Vehicles past the window (ICFA + Magnuson-Moss only).
• Motorcycles.
• Motor homes (limited).
• GVW over 8,000 lbs.
• Primarily commercial use.

Related

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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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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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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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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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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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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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