The Vermont Lemon Law Statute (§ 4170)

Vermont’s lemon law lives at 9 V.S.A. § 4170 to § 4181. It requires the manufacturer to replace the vehicle or refund the purchase price when it can’t fix a substantial defect after a reasonable number of attempts — enforced through the state Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board.

What the statute requires

To qualify, all of the following must be true:

1. Covered vehicle — a passenger motor vehicle or truck (GVWR 10,000 lbs or less) purchased or leased in Vermont (§ 4171). Leases are covered; motorcycles, snowmobiles, motor-driven cycles, heavier trucks, and the living portion of RVs are excluded.
2. Substantial impairment — the defect must substantially impair the use, market value, or safety of the vehicle. See qualifying defects.
3. Within the warranty term — the defect arises during the manufacturer’s express warranty, and for a three-times claim the first repair must occur within the warranty.
4. Reasonable repair attempts — see the presumption: three attempts at the same defect, or 30 calendar days out of service.
5. Final notice + final repair — written notice electing the remedy, plus the manufacturer’s one final repair opportunity at least five days before the hearing (§ 4173). See manufacturer response.

The remedy — consumer’s choice

If the manufacturer can’t conform the vehicle after a reasonable number of attempts, § 4172(e) directs it to replace the vehicle with a comparable one or accept return and refund the purchase price — at the option of the consumer. You control which remedy you get.

The refund — and the 100,000-mile offset

The refund returns the full purchase price plus collateral charges, less a use allowance:

offset = full purchase price × (miles driven before the first repair attempt ÷ 100,000)

Only the miles you drove before the first repair for the defect count — not the total at buyback — and the 100,000-mile denominator is consumer-favorable. See the refund guide.

Enforced through the state Arbitration Board

Vermont claims go to the Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (§ 4174), not the carmaker’s in-house program, and must be filed within one year after the express warranty expires (§ 4179). See the arbitration board and statute of limitations.

Bottom line

Vermont’s lemon law gives you a consumer-elected refund or replacement, decided by a neutral state Board, with a consumer-favorable 100,000-mile offset — file within one year after the warranty expires. Get a free case review.

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