Oregon Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Oregon, 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.

Oregon 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.

Oregon'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.

Oregon Revised Statutes section 646A.416 requires a lemon law action to be commenced within 1 year after whichever of these periods ends earlier: the period ending on the date the vehicle's mileage reaches 24,000 miles, the 2-year period following the date of original delivery, or the period that ends after an extension of time provided under section 646A.406(3). The deadline therefore falls no later than 3 years after original delivery, and sooner if the vehicle passes 24,000 miles first. A licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, Oregon requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Oregon's lemon law lets the court award attorney fees to a consumer who wins (Oregon Revised Statutes 646A.412); whether to award them is up to the court.