Washington Lemon Law

Washington’s lemon law — formally the Motor Vehicle “Lemon Law” — is codified at Wash. Rev. Code § 19.118. It pairs a 24-month / 24,000-mile Lemon Law Rights Period with one of the strongest state-administered arbitration programs in the country: the Washington Attorney General’s Lemon Law Arbitration Program, administered by a Lemon Law Administrator within the AG’s office.

Washington’s framework is distinctive in three ways:

1. State-administered AG arbitration under RCW 19.118.090 — the Attorney General’s Office runs the arbitration program directly. Few states (only WA, FL, NJ, NY, GA, TX) provide state-run arbitration; most rely on private BBB Auto Line. Where a manufacturer has not registered a certified informal dispute settlement procedure with the AG, AG arbitration is the consumer’s sole arbitration option — and it is the strongest state-run program in the western United States.
2. Washington Consumer Protection Act (WCPA) treble damages capped at $25,000 per violation under RCW 19.86.090. The Hangman Ridge Training Stables v. Safeco Title Insurance Co. (1986) five-element test governs WCPA viability — including a “public interest impact” prong unique to Washington.
3. 30-month Request for Arbitration window under RCW 19.118.090(1) — measured from the date of original delivery. This is the consumer’s deadline to file an arbitration request and is independent of the 24-month / 24,000-mile Rights Period.

This page is the hub for our Washington coverage. Use the topic guides for deeper reading:

• The Law — The Washington Lemon Law, the Washington Consumer Protection Act, Magnuson-Moss, repair-attempt presumption, and statute of limitations.
• The Process — Documented repair attempts, written notice, AG Lemon Law Arbitration, court action, and WCPA-parallel claims.
• Remedies — Refund, replacement, WCPA treble damages (capped at $25K), and attorney fees under § 19.118.150 and RCW 19.86.090.
• Qualifying Defects — Defect categories that meet Washington’s “substantially impair” test under RCW 19.118.021.
• Vehicle Types — Used vehicles, leases, EVs, motorcycles, RVs, commercial vehicles.
• Manufacturers — Common case patterns by brand in the Washington market.
• FAQ — Common questions about Washington lemon-law claims.

Who’s protected

Washington’s Lemon Law (RCW 19.118.021) covers:

• New motor vehicles purchased or leased in Washington for personal, family, or household use.
• Demonstrators sold under new-vehicle warranties.
• Motorcycles with an engine displacement of at least 750cc.
• Motor homes — but only the self-propelled chassis portion (not the living-quarters portion).

The statute excludes commercial vehicles, the living-quarters portions of motor homes, mopeds, motorcycles under 750cc, and vehicles weighing more than 19,000 lbs GVWR.

The 24-month / 24,000-mile window

Washington’s eligibility window under RCW 19.118.021 is 24 months from original delivery OR 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. Matches:

• Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Texas: 24 months / 24,000 miles
• Ohio: 12 months / 18,000 miles
• Illinois, Pennsylvania: 12 months / 12,000 miles
• Michigan: 1 year (no mileage cap)
• Virginia: 18 months (no mileage cap)

Outside the 24-month / 24,000-mile window, WCPA (4-year limit with treble damages capped at $25K) and Magnuson-Moss (4-year limit) remain available.

The 30-month Request for Arbitration window

A distinctive Washington rule: under RCW 19.118.090(1), the consumer must file the Request for Arbitration within 30 months of original delivery. This is independent of the 24-month / 24,000-mile Rights Period and gives the consumer six additional months to file after the Rights Period closes. After 30 months, AG arbitration is unavailable — but court action (Lemon Law, WCPA, and Magnuson-Moss) remains open under longer civil limitations periods.

The “reasonable number of attempts” test

Washington applies thresholds under RCW 19.118.041:

• Four or more repair attempts on the same nonconformity; OR
• Two or more repair attempts on a serious safety defect; OR
• 30 or more cumulative calendar days out of service for warranty repair, at least 15 of them within the manufacturer’s written warranty period.

See our repair-attempt presumption article.

The written notice with final repair opportunity

Before invoking Lemon Law remedies, the consumer must serve written notice to the manufacturer with a final repair opportunity under RCW 19.118.041(1)(d). The manufacturer then has a reasonable time for the final repair. Missing this step is a common procedural defect.

AG arbitration vs. manufacturer arbitration

Under RCW 19.118.090(2), if the manufacturer has registered a certified informal dispute settlement procedure with the Washington Attorney General’s office, the consumer may be required to use the manufacturer’s procedure first. If the manufacturer has not registered a certified procedure (most have not), the consumer goes directly to AG arbitration — the state-administered Lemon Law Arbitration Program.

See our AG arbitration article.

What you can recover

A successful Washington Lemon Law case typically produces:

• Refund — purchase price, collateral charges (sales tax, license, title), incidental costs, minus reasonable use deduction.
• Replacement — comparable new vehicle.
• Discretionary attorney fees under RCW 19.118.150 — awarded where the consumer prevails AND the manufacturer’s defense was groundless or not in good faith.
• WCPA actual damages plus treble damages capped at $25,000 per violation.
• WCPA mandatory attorney fees under RCW 19.86.090.
• Reimbursement of incidental damages.

The WCPA two-track approach

Most experienced Washington lemon-law strategy combines:

• Washington Lemon Law for refund or replacement (AG arbitration is the fastest path).
• Washington Consumer Protection Act for actual damages, treble damages capped at $25,000 per violation, and mandatory attorney fees under RCW 19.86.090 in court.

WCPA in court action provides:

• Actual damages to the consumer.
• Treble damages capped at $25,000 per violation under RCW 19.86.090.
• Mandatory attorney fees under RCW 19.86.090 — on prevailing.
• Five-element Hangman Ridge test — including a “public interest impact” prong unique to Washington.
• 4-year limitations period.

What to do next

1. Document everything. See our evidence guide.
2. Stay within the 24-month / 24,000-mile window and the 30-month arbitration filing deadline.
3. Send written notice with the final repair opportunity.
4. File AG arbitration if the manufacturer has not registered a certified IDS procedure — this is the fastest and strongest state arbitration program in the western U.S.
5. File court action with parallel WCPA claims for treble damages exposure.
6. Get a free case review from a Washington lemon-law attorney.

Explore Washington lemon law

Topic

The Law: Washington Lemon Law and WCPA

The statutes behind a Washington lemon-law claim — the Motor Vehicle 'Lemon Law' (RCW 19.118), the Washington Consumer Protection Act (RCW 19.86), Magnuson-Moss, and timing rules.

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The Washington Lemon Law Process

Step-by-step: how a Washington lemon-law case moves through repair attempts, written notice, AG Lemon Law Arbitration, court action, and settlement.

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Washington Lemon Law Remedies

What you can recover under Washington's lemon-law framework — refund, replacement, cash-and-keep, WCPA treble damages (capped at $25K per violation), and § 19.118.150 / RCW 19.86.090 attorney-fee recovery.

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Qualifying Defects Under Washington Lemon Law

What kinds of vehicle defects qualify for a Washington Lemon Law refund — the substantial-impairment test under RCW 19.118.021.

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Vehicle Types Covered by Washington Lemon Law

How Washington's Lemon Law applies to used cars, leases, EVs, motorcycles, RVs, and commercial vehicles.

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Washington Lemon Law Cases by Manufacturer

How the Washington Lemon Law and WCPA apply to specific manufacturers.

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Washington Lemon Law — Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most-asked questions about Washington's Lemon Law and Consumer Protection Act.

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