Kentucky Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Kentucky, a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus an allowance for the use you got from it. Kentucky Revised Statutes 367.841(7) defines that allowance as the amount directly attributable to the consumer's use of the vehicle, not counting the time it is out of service because of the nonconformity. The statute sets no mileage divisor, so our calculator's allowance is only an estimate: it divides the mileage you enter for when the defect first appeared by 120,000, the figure California's and Florida's lemon statutes use, and multiplies by the price. A licensed attorney can confirm how the allowance applies to your purchase or lease.

Kentucky 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 4 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 12 months or 12,000 miles of ownership.

Kentucky'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.

You generally have 2 years to bring a lemon law claim in Kentucky, in line with the national average of 2.4 years. Acting before the warranty expires and while repair records are fresh protects your claim. When a vehicle qualifies, Kentucky requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Kentucky's lemon law lets a court award reasonable attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff (Kentucky Revised Statutes 367.842(9)). A buyer sues under KRS 367.220 (367.843), which lets the court award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing party, so fees can be awarded to a manufacturer that wins as well as to a consumer who wins (367.220(3)).