What States Have RV Lemon Laws?
What happens when you purchase a new RV and it just doesn’t work? You may face endless hassles and repairs that wear you down until you can’t keep fixing it. If this is you, unfortunately, you may have purchased a lemon.
As an RV owner, you should check out what states have RV lemon laws. These laws might apply to you. They can help you protect yourself against a lemon of an RV.
What is a lemon law?
When something goes wrong with something you own, like a motorcycle or car, you can count on state lemon laws to help protect you.
Lemon laws are United States state laws that provide a remedy for purchasers of cars and other consumer goods in order to compensate for products that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance.
Wikipedia
A defective motor vehicle is described as a “lemon“.
Lemon laws exist for RVs too. RV lemon laws differ by state and also by the type of RV you have. Whether yours is non-motorized or a motorhome will affect how the lemon laws can protect you. If the state your RV is registered in has an RV lemon law, you might be in luck if you purchased a rig that seems to be faulty.
The law finds that if a vehicle or object cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts, the owner is due for compensation. This may mean you get some money in return for the inconvenience, or in some cases, a new RV!
To understand exactly what the state protects you from, we have to first dive into what RV lemon laws cover for you and your RV.
Do lemon laws apply to RVs?
Some states do have lemon laws that apply to RVs. Motorhomes are covered in some states by insurance that also backs up cars. So, if you have an issue with your camper, you know that the state has your back in getting it fixed.
When is your RV considered a lemon?
In order to be considered a faulty or lemon RV:
- Your camper must still be under warranty but have faced two failed attempts at fixing an issue.
- The RV must have been deemed unable to drive due to the issue. It must now be worth much less since the inconvenience persisted.
- Your RV started showing issues within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles.
If any of these apply to you, your RV falls under the conditions of being a lemon. The question lies, however, in if your state has the laws to support you. Not every state has RV lemon laws.
Before you get your hopes up, you should take a moment to realize that these laws are not foolproof. Most states only cover some circumstances and may not be too reliable.
Either way, let’s look at how you can solve this sour problem.
What states have RV lemon laws?
Here are the outlines of each US state and what qualifies as a lemon in each.
On the left, you can find what qualifies your RV as a lemon. This includes what has to go wrong in order for you to take state action to fix the issues. Sometimes, states will have restrictions on weight, days out of service, or the number of attempts you’ve made at fixing the issue.
Check carefully – your state may appear more than once!
RV Lemon Laws by State
| Qualifications | States |
|---|---|
| Require 3-4 unsuccessful repair attempts within the warranty period. | Alabama / Colorado / Connecticut / District of Columbia / Indiana / Iowa / Kentucky / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Nevada / North Dakota / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Dakota / Tennessee |
| Require 3-4 unsuccessful repair attempts and a certain number of days out of service. | Alaska / Illinois / Maine / Mississippi / Montana / New York / Nebraska / New Jersey / South Carolina / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia |
| Require 3-4 unsuccessful repair attempts, a certain number of days out of service, and must be under a certain weight. | Arizona / Arkansas / California / Delaware / Louisiana / Missouri / Utah / Wisconsin / Georgia / Hawaii / New Hampshire / New Mexico / North Carolina / Oklahoma / Wyoming |
| Require 4 unsuccessful repair attempts, has spent 60 days out of service and covers non-living areas of RV only. | Florida |
| Require 3-4 unsuccessful repair attempts, a certain number of days out of service plus may cause serious bodily harm. | Idaho / Minnesota* / Ohio** |
| Applies only to the chassis | Arkansas / California / Delaware / Louisiana / Missouri / Utah / Wisconsin / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Kansas / Minnesota / Mississippi / Montana / New York / New Jersey / South Carolina / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia |
*No certain number of days out of service
**Except facilities used for sleeping and eating
Have a faulty RV? The good news is that in some cases, your RV is protected. Some states specify how many attempts at repair you have to go through or how much your RV has to weigh. These guidelines are important to know if you think you might have a lemon on your hands.
Don’t let your sticky situation get any worse. If you have a lemon of an RV, check out your state RV lemon laws.
One of the best parts about RVing is engaging with the community of traveling enthusiasts. iRV2 forums allow folks to chat with other RVers online, and get other perspectives on everything RVing, including products, destinations, RV mods, and much more.
Related articles:
- 5 RV Warranty Questions To Ask Before You Buy
- Why You Should Triple Check Your RV Pre Delivery Inspection
Jennifer lives with her husband in a 29′ trailer in Mexico. She is one half of DashboardDrifters.com and the founder of RVSpotDrop, a web service for full-time RVers. Jennifer Jennings has been RVing for 2+ years and writing about the RV and Van Life for 2+ years. Jennifer specializes in topics such as Lifestyle, van life, campgrounds features, destination features, and product lists.
2022 Mesa Ridge
I live in full time had Rv mobile unit come by to look at it and tried to replace the GFI plug in it which services 11-12 plugs that don’t work in the trailer and now says still doesn’t work and could have to go into walls to fix. Place I bought it said bring it back. Cost me $400 to deliver first off. I have an oven that hasn’t worked since I bought it, 2 recalls on propane, a hole in wall where they put the motorized bed in. I have contacted the salesman now by text, called the manager twice with no return call, emailed manufacturer 3 times. First time allowed mobile repair to come out with stipulations. Now no response. Help???? Traverse STL RV stay away from…
What do you do when you have a brand new RV you purchased seven months ago. There’s a dealer checked nothing on but had no problems charging you a $600 fee. And the first time I went to use it in April you find a list of problems and they’ve had it ever since then over 120 days half the time they don’t answer my calls and so far I don’t believe a single thing has been fixed on it.
Jayco does not return my emails I’ve been seeking attorney but have yet to find one that is willing to represent me against Jayco or this dealership even though they still have my unit and I don’t know when I’ll ever get it back and or if any other problems will be fixed
We have a new 2022 Thor sequence. Went on one trip 6 hours away from home . All of these small things happen. Outside gas line for grill want attach, cabinets and drawers fly open the plastic mattress are breaking. The bench seats/ beds have a space between them and the wall. And many other small things. Its been at the dealership service dept. Since May 2022 and they still dont know when they will get parts to fix it. Said it could be months. So what can you do?
Hi Tina this is Tina , we also have a 2022 Thor and there has nothing but been issues, cabinets breaking, hot water heater not working, generator not staying on, etc. and it has taken for ever to get parts or get the dealer to fix them. I am sorry you have been going through this.. We are concerned that we have a Lemon.. What’s your thoughts.? We have contacted Thor multiple of times and finally they said we can bring it to the manufacturer. Thats one idea.
Hi, we also purchased a 2022 Thor. We have tried for 3 months to get things fixed. The list of things needing repair is 21.
Our main problem is the door will not stay closed, the window in the dinning area we can see daylight ( this is after adjustment), our vinyl flooring is coming up, the hood will not latch, just to name a few.
I have been in contact with Thor on several occasions. We have used 2 different authorized Thor service departments. We continue to get the run around.
At this point (4 months in) just give us our money back and you can have it back.
We have cancelled 3 trips and are sitting for the foreseeable future.
I feel a fight brewing, I won’t back down.
We have a 2023 Thor and it has been nothing but issues. We bought it in July and it has been “being repaired” since day one. I would love to pursue a class action lawsuit or something. It seems like there are very limited remedies when it comes to RV’s over 10,000 pounds.
I have a 2023 Thor Aria and have had for one year, there have been so many repair issues. I have had to cancel many, many trips. I have only put 600 miles on it. It us at the dealer now. We all need to get together on a law suit. Where can we contact for the lemon law?
I hear you we are hav same problems Please if you get answers let me know someone told me to contact lemon Lawyer.
We have a 2021 jayco eagle ht 5th wheel . We have had numerous problems. The foor came loose in about 4 different places from front to back after the 3rd attempt to fix the the found a joist in the kitchen not attached th anything, and said the fixed it and still sqeaks. The frig is very load they replaced the fan still very loud. Now hot water heat won’t light. Many more little things we took procession 07/2021 took it in for repairs 3 times and only was able to use it 1 weekend. Now thinking it was all repaired took off on our first big trip 5 days in the floor is louder than ever hot water heater won’t light. 2000 miles from home. And at our expense have taken it to the dealer 3.5 hours from home 4 times. When does it end?
Sorry I live in Oregon, and purchased in Washington
What can you do
My RV Forest River Cherokee 26DBH has just ran out of the 1 year warranty but I still have a 65-years extended. It is a 2021. Have had multiple problems since we bought it last June 2021. Seems like we take it to get a problem fixed then we bring it home and it has another problem. The place we take it to has had it for weeks a time waiting in line to be fixed. One of the earlier repairs was the rubber liner around the outside of the slide has fallen off in the middle. As far as I know it came new like that..The place we take it to says that the manufacturer did not allot them enough time to fix that so they didn’t. And the now the AC keeps throwing the breaker. What can I do? I bought this camper brand new – there should not have been anything wrong with it!
We have a 2020 Carbon 5th wheel toyhauler 38 ft.
The spring hanger broke and RV is not safe to move. We are stuck in TN at a campground. Manufacturer is taking their time in giving us an answer as to what to do, where and how to get it repaired.
I got a catalina trailer 323bhdsck 2021 I ben dealing with alot of trouble led lights came of the awning water coming from the bathroom true the kitchen one jack came out of the back on the hiway the axle is bent the gas tank leak the inside bedroom the sealing is coming down I bought it at rv value mart lebanon and still there not doing nothing can some one help me I live in lebanon Pennsylvania that ks
Re: it must be deemed undrivable. If the issues are with the slide & leveling jacks but it can be driven am I out of luck?
Are trailers considered RVs?
You forgot Texas !! Texas does have a lemon law that covers RVs . I have used it twice on two different Rvs .
Thank , Al Weaver .
Correct and Texas has a somewhat friendly consumer assistance side. RV manufacturers and dealers would have a much more positive rep if they work with the laws openly and partner with customers.
The avoidance in disclosing only sets up avoidable hardship and greatly exposes class action possibilities in my opinion.
Take 100 rvs and openly work with customers and I believe they would a more positive investment on legal and warranty dollars with more positive image, which is better than any amount of promotion dollars.
Sadly, likely will not happen.
Can you help me???!!!! I bought a used rv for 80,000.00 and it WONT RUN! Seller says she knows nothing about anything being wrong with it. Tennessee has a lemon law. I don’t know what to do!!!