Montana Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Montana, 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.

Montana 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 business days, the vehicle is presumed to be a lemon. This presumption generally applies within the first 24 months or 18,000 miles of ownership.

Montana'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.

Montana's lemon law (Montana Code Annotated sections 61-4-501 to 61-4-533) states no deadline of its own for filing a lawsuit, so this page gives no single number. Montana's Uniform Commercial Code requires an action for breach of any contract for sale to be commenced within 4 years after the cause of action accrues (Montana Code Annotated section 30-2-725). A breach of warranty occurs when tender of delivery is made, unless the warranty explicitly extends to future performance and discovery of the breach must wait for that performance, in which case the claim accrues when the breach is or should have been discovered; the parties' original agreement may shorten the period to no less than 1 year. Montana's general limitations law also sets 2 years for an action upon a liability created by statute (Montana Code Annotated section 27-2-211(1)(c)). Which deadline applies to a claim under the lemon law itself is not settled by these statutes. Act promptly and while repair records are fresh, well within 2 years of the vehicle's delivery (sooner if the purchase agreement shortened the period); a licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, Montana requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Montana's lemon law (Montana Code Annotated 61-4-501 to 61-4-533) does not provide attorney fees to a consumer who wins a lemon law claim. Its only fee clause is narrow: if a party appeals a state arbitrator's award to court without good cause, the court may award the other party costs and reasonable attorney fees (61-4-519(3)). The law makes a violation an unfair or deceptive trade practice (61-4-533). The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act lets a court award a consumer who wins a warranty case costs and attorney fees (15 U.S.C. 2310(d)(2)).