Arkansas Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Arkansas, a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus a "mileage offset" for the use you got before the defect appeared. Using the common statutory formula, the offset equals the miles driven before your first repair attempt divided by 120,000, multiplied by the purchase price. On a $35,000 vehicle with 6,000 miles at the first repair attempt, the offset is about $1,750 — so the buyback would be roughly $33,250, plus incidental costs like taxes, registration, and towing. Our calculator applies this same formula to your numbers.

Arkansas recognizes a "lemon presumption" that shifts the burden to the manufacturer once your repair history crosses set thresholds. If the dealer cannot fix the same substantial, warranty-covered defect after 3 repair attempts, or if the vehicle is out of service for a cumulative 30 days, the vehicle is presumed to be a lemon. This presumption generally applies within the first 24 months or 24,000 miles of ownership.

Arkansas's state lemon law generally covers new vehicles purchased with a manufacturer's warranty. If your vehicle is used or falls outside the state statute, you may still have a claim under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which applies to written warranties nationwide.

No filing deadline is confirmed here for an Arkansas lemon law claim: the current Arkansas Code could not be read for this page, so the page gives no number of years. Act 297 of 1993, the act that created the Arkansas New Motor Vehicle Quality Assurance Act, commonly known as the lemon law, says that an action brought under it must be commenced within 2 years following the date the buyer first reports the defect to the manufacturer, its agent or an authorized dealer (section 20(1)). When the buyer has commenced the informal dispute settlement procedure described in the act, that 2-year period begins to run when the procedure is commenced (section 20(2)). A search of the Arkansas Legislature's records of later acts found none that changed section 20 (acts of 1995, 2001, 2009 and 2021 amended other parts of the lemon law), but the current Arkansas Code itself could not be read. Act promptly, well within 2 years of first reporting the defect and while repair records are fresh; a licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, Arkansas requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Arkansas's lemon law provides for an award of attorney fees to a consumer who wins (Arkansas Act 297 of 1993, section 19).