Oklahoma Lemon Law Statute (Okla. Stat. tit. 15 § 901)

Okla. Stat. tit. 15 § 901 et seq. is the Oklahoma Lemon Law. The statute is structurally distinctive: MANDATORY § 901 attorney fees (strong consumer protection), manufacturer’s option for refund vs replacement (joins SC § 56-28-40 distinctive structure), 30 BUSINESS DAYS out-of-service counting (joins CO/MA/IN/MO/OR/NC business-day tier), and a uniquely consumer-favorable mileage offset formula with 15,000-mile free-use baseline.

Core eligibility

§ 901(A) covers:

• New motor vehicles purchased or leased in Oklahoma.
• Personal, family, or household use.
• GVWR: under 10,000 lbs.

The statute excludes:

• Used vehicles — no separate OK Used Car Lemon Law.
• Vehicles 10,000+ lbs GVWR.
• Motor home living facilities (chassis may still be covered).
• Commercial-only use vehicles.

“Consumer” includes both purchasers and lessees.

The 1-year Rights Period — distinctive “earlier” qualifier

§ 901(A) establishes the eligibility window:

• Express warranty term, OR
• 1 year from original delivery, whichever is EARLIER.

The “earlier” qualifier is distinctive. Most peer 1-year states use “whichever first” between 1 year and a mileage cap. OK’s “earlier” qualifier shifts focus to the express warranty term — for vehicles with shorter-than-1-year express warranties (rare for major manufacturers), the warranty term controls.

For most major manufacturers, the basic warranty is at least 3 years / 36,000 miles, so the 1-year cap typically controls.

Compare to peer states:

• 1-year Rights Period: Oklahoma, Alabama (12K reporting + 24-mo repair obligation), South Carolina (12K), Kentucky (12K), Michigan (no mileage), Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Louisiana.

Repair-attempt thresholds — 30 BUSINESS DAYS

§ 901(B) applies the presumption when:

• Four or more repair attempts for the same nonconformity within the Rights Period; OR
• 30 or more BUSINESS DAYS out of service for repair within the Rights Period.

The 30 business days counting is distinctive — joins:

• Colorado § 42-10-101 — 30 business days.
• Massachusetts — 15 business days (shortest).
• Indiana § 24-5-13 — 30 business days.
• Missouri § 407.567 — 30 working days.
• Oregon § 646A.402 — 30 business days.
• North Carolina § 20-351.5 — 20 business days.

30 business days ≈ 42 calendar days — substantially more consumer-favorable than 30-calendar-day jurisdictions (Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Nevada, Louisiana, Connecticut).

MANUFACTURER’S option — § 901(C)

§ 901(C) provides:

“the manufacturer shall either accept a return of the motor vehicle from the consumer and refund… or replace the motor vehicle…”

The MANUFACTURER chooses — NOT the consumer. Oklahoma joins South Carolina § 56-28-40 as one of the few states with this structure. Most peer states give the consumer the choice (Alabama § 8-20A-3(2), Tennessee § 55-24-204(a), California § 1793.2, Florida § 681.104, Kentucky § 367.842).

Distinctive mileage offset — 15K free-use baseline + 120K denominator

§ 901(C) provides:

“A reasonable allowance for use shall be the purchase or lease price of the motor vehicle multiplied by a fraction having as the denominator one hundred twenty thousand (120,000) miles and having as the numerator the miles directly attributable to use by the consumer beyond fifteen thousand (15,000) miles…”

Formula: Reduction = Price × (Miles beyond 15,000) ÷ 120,000

This is uniquely consumer-favorable among major state lemon laws:

• 15,000-mile FREE-USE BASELINE: Consumers who report defects within the first 15,000 miles incur ZERO offset.
• 120,000-mile denominator: Even beyond 15K, the offset is gentle.

Compare to peer-state formulas:

• Alabama § 8-20A-3(2)(d): price × (miles before first report ÷ 100,000) — 8,000 miles = 8% offset (no free baseline).
• SC § 56-28-40: “reasonable allowance for use” (discretionary).
• KY § 367.842: “reasonable allowance for use” (discretionary).

OK’s 15K free-use baseline is the most consumer-favorable mileage-offset structure for early-defect cases.

MANDATORY § 901 attorney fees

§ 901 provides:

“the consumer SHALL recover all costs and reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court.”

“Shall recover” makes fees MANDATORY — stronger than:

• Kentucky § 367.844 — discretionary.
• South Carolina § 56-28-50 — discretionary.

Comparable to:

• Alabama § 8-20A-3(4) — mandatory.
• Tennessee § 55-24-204 — mandatory.
• North Carolina § 20-351.8 — mandatory.

Manufacturer IDS

If the manufacturer has a certified IDS procedure (16 C.F.R. Part 703 compliant), the consumer typically must first complete that procedure. Most manufacturers’ IDS in OK:

• BBB Auto Line — Toyota, GM, Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, others.
• Ford Dispute Settlement Board (DSB) — Ford / Lincoln.

Oklahoma does NOT have a state-administered Lemon Law arbitration board.

SOL

§ 901 does not explicitly specify a Lemon Law action SOL. Practitioners typically file within:

• 3 years under general statutory liability framework (Okla. Stat. tit. 12 § 95(2)); OR
• 4 years under UCC § 2-725 (Okla. Stat. tit. 12A § 2-725) — the safest backstop for warranty claims.

Bottom line

OK’s § 901 framework combines a tight 1-year Rights Period with a more consumer-favorable 30-BUSINESS-DAY OOS counting, the distinctive 15K-free-use-baseline mileage offset (uniquely consumer-favorable for early-defect cases), mandatory § 901 attorney fees, and manufacturer’s-option remedy. Combined with OCPA mandatory fees + $10K civil penalty and Magnuson-Moss federal fees, the framework provides robust consumer protection — particularly for early-defect cases where the 15K free-use baseline produces near-full refund.

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