What Car Is Known as a Lemon?

A “lemon” isn’t one specific car model; it’s any vehicle—often new, sometimes used—with substantial, recurring defects that affect its use, value, or safety and can’t be fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts or within a set time. The term is widely used by consumers and in law, with many regions enforcing “lemon laws” that can entitle owners to a refund or replacement when a vehicle chronically fails to function as promised.

What “lemon” means in practice

In consumer protection terms, a lemon is a defective vehicle that repeatedly malfunctions despite authorized repair attempts, typically within a defined ownership period (such as the first 12–24 months or a mileage window). Unlike a “beater” (an old, worn car) or a “salvage” vehicle (previously declared a total loss), a lemon involves a defect that materially impairs the car’s use, value, or safety and persists even after the manufacturer or dealer has had reasonable opportunity to fix it.

Common legal thresholds

While the specific rules vary by jurisdiction, lemon laws and warranty statutes often hinge on similar criteria, especially for new cars. The following points summarize typical thresholds used by U.S. states and other markets to determine if a car qualifies as a lemon.

• A substantial defect that affects use, value, or safety (for example, braking, steering, engine, transmission, airbag, or battery/charging system issues).
• Repeated repair attempts for the same problem, often three or four tries, without a lasting fix.
• Extended time out of service—commonly 30 or more cumulative days—during the warranty period.
• Defects arising within a specific window (e.g., first 12–24 months or the first 12,000–24,000 miles/kilometers).
• Repair attempts performed by an authorized dealer, with thorough documentation of visits, work orders, and outcomes.

If a vehicle meets these criteria, many laws require the manufacturer to offer a replacement or a refund, minus a reasonable allowance for use, or to provide another remedy spelled out by statute or arbitration programs.

How to tell if your car might be a lemon

Because “lemon” status depends on both the nature of defects and repair history, spotting the signs early is critical. The indicators below often point to a vehicle that could qualify under lemon laws if issues persist within the covered period.

• Persistent warning lights (especially check engine, ABS, airbag, hybrid/EV battery/charging) that return after “repairs.”
• Major drivability problems like stalling, rough shifting, loss of power, overheating, or frequent no-starts.
• Safety-related defects such as brake failure, steering defects, unintended acceleration, or airbag malfunctions.
• Chronic electrical issues: failing infotainment or instrument clusters, phantom battery drains, or repeated sensor/module failures.
• Multiple visits for the same issue, or long cumulative days in the shop within the warranty window.

While any one visit may not qualify a car as a lemon, repeated, documented problems that substantially impair the vehicle can meet legal thresholds in many jurisdictions.

What to do if you suspect you have a lemon

If your car repeatedly fails for the same substantial defect and the dealer can’t fix it, following a clear, documented process will strengthen your case and protect your rights under applicable laws and warranties.

1. Document everything: dates, mileage, symptoms, repair orders, and communications with the dealer/manufacturer.
2. Give the manufacturer a reasonable number of repair attempts through an authorized dealer, as your state or country requires.
3. Open a case with the manufacturer’s customer care and request a final repair attempt if appropriate.
4. Use any required arbitration or dispute resolution program specified in your owner’s manual or by state law.
5. Consult a consumer protection or lemon law attorney if repairs fail; many offer free consultations and fee-shifting may apply.
6. Seek the statutory remedy: refund (buyback) or replacement, including taxes and fees where required, minus any use offset permitted by law.
7. Consider federal warranty avenues (e.g., in the U.S., the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act) for defective products covered by written warranties.

Timelines can be strict, so act quickly within the first months or mileage limits, and follow the steps your jurisdiction mandates to preserve your remedies.

Are certain models “known lemons”?

No single car is universally “the lemon.” Reliability varies by year, trim, and even production batch. That said, some models or powertrains have faced well-documented defect patterns or large volumes of complaints and service bulletins in certain years. Examples often cited by consumer advocates, complaint databases, or litigation include dual-clutch transmission issues in some 2011–2016 Ford Focus/Fiesta (DPS6) models, certain Nissan CVT transmissions from the late 2000s through mid‑2010s, various Hyundai/Kia engine defect and fire-related recalls (notably Theta II engines) expanded through the early 2020s, and specific engine or component issues tied to certain VW/Audi, Subaru, Toyota, and GM powertrains in particular years. EVs can have their own defect clusters, from drive unit failures to charging or heat pump issues, and some brands have faced scrutiny over build consistency. Still, whether a particular vehicle is a legal “lemon” depends on its individual repair history and your local law, not brand reputation alone. For current reliability insights, check independent data sources such as Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and the U.S. NHTSA complaint and recall databases.

Quick checks before you buy used

When purchasing a used car, a few methodical checks can reduce the risk of buying a problem vehicle or a prior buyback.

• Pull a vehicle history report (e.g., Carfax/AutoCheck) to spot accidents, title brands, and manufacturer buybacks where disclosure is required.
• Obtain full service records and check for repeated repairs of the same system.
• Get a pre-purchase inspection by an independent technician and scan for diagnostic trouble codes.
• Verify open recalls and review technical service bulletins (TSBs) for recurring issues on that model and year.
• Conduct thorough test drives, both cold and hot, including highway speeds and stop‑and‑go traffic.

These steps won’t guarantee perfection but can substantially lower the odds of inheriting chronic defects or undisclosed buybacks.

Lemon laws at a glance

In the United States, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have lemon laws for new vehicles, with differing rules on used cars, RVs, and motorcycles. Many require manufacturers to buy back or replace a car that meets statutory thresholds, and several require title branding for buybacks. The federal Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act also supports claims for products with written warranties, including cars. In the European Union, consumer rights laws provide a minimum two-year conformity guarantee, and remedies for goods that don’t match the contract. The UK’s Consumer Rights Act 2015 allows rejection within 30 days for goods not of satisfactory quality and tiered remedies afterward. Australia’s Australian Consumer Law provides refunds or replacements for “major failures.” Canada and New Zealand have similar consumer protections under provincial or national statutes. Always check the specific requirements and deadlines in your jurisdiction.

Summary

A “lemon” is any vehicle with substantial, recurring defects that the dealer or manufacturer can’t fix within a reasonable number of attempts or time, typically within an early ownership window. It’s not a single model but a legal and consumer term tied to documented failures. If you suspect your car qualifies, document every repair, follow required steps with the manufacturer, and pursue remedies under your local lemon law or warranty statutes.

Why would a car be called a lemon?

In American English, a lemon is a vehicle that turns out to have several manufacturing issues affecting its safety, value or utility. Any vehicle with such severe issues may be termed a lemon, and by extension, the term may include any product with flaws too great or severe to serve its purpose.

What vehicles are considered lemons?

A: For a car to be considered a lemon in California, it must have a significant defect that directly affects the car’s use, safety, or value. Furthermore, the defect must be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

How rare is a lemon car?

Almost every car company has sold a vehicle with a defective part at one point or another. However, certain manufacturers repeatedly manufacture, market, and sell lemon cars.

What’s another word for a lemon car?

There are many slang terms used to describe such cars, such as beater, bomb, clunker, chod, flivver, hooptie/hoopty, jalopy, old banger (most commonly used in the UK), but the most popular being junk car.