Electric Vehicles Under Indiana Lemon Law
How Indiana Lemon Law applies to EVs — Tesla, Rivian, plus home-state-built Subaru Solterra (Lafayette SIA).
Indiana has growing EV market. The state hosts one EV currently built in Indiana — Subaru Solterra (SIA Lafayette) — and Rivian has announced plans to build the Rivian R2/R3 at a new Indiana plant. Indiana Lemon Law (§ 24-5-13) covers all new EVs under 10,000 lbs GVWR.
EV built in Indiana
- Subaru Solterra (Lafayette) — Subaru’s first EV; built at SIA Lafayette. Home-state defendant in N.D. Ind.
Rivian (forthcoming Indiana presence)
Rivian announced a new Indiana plant for R2/R3 production. When operational, will add another home-state EV defendant.
Other EVs covered by § 24-5-13
- Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck.
- Rivian R1T, R1S (currently Normal, IL — out-of-state).
- Lucid Air.
- Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, Kona EV.
- Kia EV6, EV9, Niro EV.
- Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning.
- GM Chevy Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, Equinox EV, Silverado EV.
- Audi e-tron, Q4, Porsche Taycan.
- Mercedes-Benz EQS, EQE, EQB.
- BMW i4, iX, i7, iX3.
- Polestar 2, 3.
- Nissan Leaf, Ariya.
- VW ID.4 (Chattanooga TN).
EV-specific qualifying defects
See our EV-specific defects article. Key categories:
- Battery degradation beyond manufacturer’s degradation curve.
- Range loss — particularly cold-weather range loss (significant in Indiana winters).
- Charging failures — won’t accept, slow rate, error codes.
- MCU / infotainment — Tesla MCU2 eMMC.
- OTA-induced failures — Tesla, Mach-E.
- Door / handle failures — Tesla, Rivian.
Indiana EV climate factor
Indiana’s cold winters create:
- Cold-weather range loss — 30-40% range loss typical.
- >40% loss suggests battery thermal-management or capacity defect.
- Charge port corrosion — winter salt exposure in northern IN.
Tesla service centers in Indiana
- Indianapolis (Castleton) — primary.
- Mishawaka (South Bend area) — northern IN.
- Mobile Service vehicles statewide.
Why EV Lemon Law cases are strong in Indiana
- Home-state defendant advantage for Subaru Solterra (Lafayette) cases.
- Battery + range complaints are easy to document with vehicle telematics.
- Software updates create a paper trail of attempted fixes.
- Mandatory § 24-5-13-22 fees and IDCSA treble damages (with cure notice) create strong settlement leverage.
Bottom line
EVs are fully covered under Indiana Lemon Law. The Subaru Solterra Lafayette home-state factor + Indiana’s cold-winter range-loss climate combine to create strong EV cases.
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Read →Think you've got a lemon?
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