North Dakota Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In North Dakota, a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus an allowance for the use you got from it. North Dakota Century Code section 51-07-18(1) caps that allowance at 10 cents per mile driven or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less, and counts use before your first report of the defect to the manufacturer, its agent or dealer and during any later period when the vehicle is not out of service for repair. 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, then holds the result to the lesser of the statute's caps: 10 cents for each of those miles and 10% of the price. A licensed attorney can confirm how the allowance applies to your purchase or lease.

North Dakota 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 12 months of ownership.

North Dakota'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.

North Dakota Century Code section 51-07-21 requires a lemon law action to be commenced within 6 months after the earlier of the expiration of the express warranty term or 18 months after the date of original delivery. At the latest that is 2 years after original delivery, and it comes sooner if the warranty term ends first. A licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, North Dakota requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. North Dakota's lemon law (North Dakota Century Code 51-07-16 to 51-07-22) has no attorney-fee provision, and a consumer who elects to proceed under it is foreclosed from pursuing any other remedy arising out of the same facts (51-07-20).