The Ohio Lemon Law (Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.71)

The Ohio Lemon Law is codified at Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.71 et seq. It’s one of the more consumer-friendly lemon laws in the country, with statutory attorney-fee shifting built directly into the Lemon Law itself under § 1345.75.

The core promise

Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.72 requires a manufacturer to refund or replace a new motor vehicle when:

• The manufacturer (or its authorized agent) cannot repair a defect that “substantially impairs” the use, value, or safety of the vehicle within a reasonable number of attempts; AND
• The defect was reported during the warranty period; AND
• The dispute is brought within 12 months or 18,000 miles of original delivery.

Who’s covered

The Act covers:

• New motor vehicles purchased or leased in Ohio.
• Vehicles primarily for personal, family, or household use.
• Demonstrators sold under new-vehicle warranties.

Some commercial-use vehicles may be covered if used primarily for personal purposes.

The 12-month / 18,000-mile window

Ohio’s eligibility window is 12 months from delivery OR 18,000 miles, whichever first. The 18,000-mile threshold is broader than Illinois’s 12,000 and Pennsylvania’s 12,000 miles.

Beyond the window, CSPA and Magnuson-Moss remain available.

What “substantial impairment” means

The Ohio Lemon Law defines “nonconformity” as a defect that “substantially impairs the use, value, or safety” of the vehicle. Three prongs, any one sufficient.

See our qualifying defects guide.

What “reasonable number of attempts” means

Ohio’s framework under § 1345.73 is unique among major-state lemon laws — it includes four distinct presumption tests:

• One attempt to repair a serious-safety defect (a condition likely to cause death or serious bodily injury) that continues or recurs, OR
• Three or more repair attempts for the same nonconformity, OR
• Eight or more attempts for ANY combination of nonconformities, OR
• 30 or more cumulative days out of service for repair.

The 1-attempt serious-safety rule and the 8-attempt rule for any combination of defects are both unusual and consumer-friendly.

See our repair-attempt presumption article.

What you can recover

• Refund — purchase price minus reasonable use deduction.
• Replacement — comparable new vehicle.
• Statutory attorney fees under § 1345.75.
• Reimbursement of incidental damages.

Statutory attorney-fee shifting (§ 1345.75)

This is what makes Ohio’s Lemon Law unusually consumer-friendly. Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.75(A) provides:

The court shall award reasonable attorney fees and other reasonable expenses incurred in maintaining the action.

This is mandatory language — courts must award fees to the prevailing consumer.

Ohio is one of the few states (alongside California’s § 1794(d), New York’s § 198-a(l), and Pennsylvania’s § 1958) with statutory attorney-fee shifting in the lemon law itself.

Court action

Ohio Lemon Law cases are pursued in Court of Common Pleas (the trial-level court). There’s no state administrative arbitration program in Ohio.

How Ohio compares to other states

State	Enforcement	Eligibility window	Statutory attorney fees in lemon law	State consumer-protection act
Ohio	Court	12 mo / 18K mi	Yes (§ 1345.75)	CSPA (treble)
California	Court	4-yr SOL	Yes	None equivalent
Texas	TxDMV	24 mo / 24K mi	No	DTPA (treble)
Florida	Mfr arb → NMVA	24 months	No	FDUTPA
New York	Court OR AG arb	2 yr / 18K mi	Yes	§ 349 (3×)
Illinois	Court	12 mo / 12K mi	No	ICFA (treble)
Pennsylvania	Court OR AG arb	12 mo / 12K mi	Yes	UTPCPL (treble)

Bottom line

Ohio’s Lemon Law combines statutory mandatory attorney-fee shifting with broad threshold options (1-attempt serious-safety, 3-attempt same defect, 8-attempt any combination, 30 days OOS). Combined with CSPA’s treble damages, Ohio is among the more consumer-friendly major-state lemon-law jurisdictions.

Related

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Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act (CSPA)

How Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act overlays the Ohio Lemon Law — providing treble damages, statutory damages, mandatory attorney fees.

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The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in Ohio Cases

How the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act applies to Ohio lemon-law cases — federal-court access, attorney fees, and longer limitations runway.

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Ohio Repair-Attempt Presumption (Ohio Rev. Code § 1345.72)

Ohio's Lemon Law thresholds — one attempt for a serious-safety defect, three attempts (same defect), eight attempts (any combination), or 30 cumulative days out of service.

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Ohio Lemon Law Statute of Limitations

How long you have to file an Ohio lemon-law claim — the 12-month/18,000-mile eligibility window, the 5-year suit deadline under § 1345.75(B), CSPA's 2-year limit, and Magnuson-Moss's 4-year period.

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