Wyoming Lemon Law: Do You Qualify?

Wyoming lemon law at a glance

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You report the nonconformity to the manufacturer, its agent or its authorized dealer within one year following original delivery. The repairs must still be made after the year expires. The section states no mileage limit.

Repair attempts

More than three repairs (four or more) of the same nonconformity by the manufacturer, its agents or its authorized dealers, which still exists, within one year of original delivery presumes a reasonable number of attempts.

Days out of service

30 cumulative business days (not calendar days) out of service due to repair, within the same one-year period. The section does not define "business days". War, strike, fire, flood and similar events extend the periods.

Written notice

The presumption applies against the manufacturer only if it received prior direct written notification from or on behalf of you and had a reasonable opportunity to cure the defect. The statute gives no number of days.

Replacement or refund

The manufacturer replaces the vehicle with a new or comparable one of the same type and similarly equipped, or accepts its return and refunds the full purchase price including all collateral charges, less a reasonable allowance for your use, to you and any lienholder as their interest may appear. The statute does not say who chooses.

Defenses

It is an affirmative defense that the nonconformity does not substantially impair the use and fair market value of the vehicle, or that it results from abuse, neglect or unauthorized modification or alteration by a consumer.

Dispute program

The replacement-or-refund subsection does not apply to a consumer who has failed to exhaust a manufacturer's informal dispute settlement procedure, if one exists and complies with federal law. The section sets up no state arbitration program.

Used vehicles and leases

The section speaks of a new motor vehicle and the manufacturer's warranty of a new motor vehicle; a person to whom the vehicle is transferred during the term of an express warranty is a consumer. The section does not mention leases. Subsection (e) preserves rights under other statutes.

Wyoming lemon law: frequently asked questions

How many repairs does the Wyoming lemon law require?

The statute presumes a reasonable number of attempts when the same nonconformity has been repaired more than three times by the manufacturer, its agents or its authorized dealers and still exists, within one year of original delivery. It names no separate safety-defect threshold. The presumption covers only the number of attempts: the defect must also substantially impair the vehicle's use and fair market value, and the manufacturer may raise the defenses in subsection (g).

Are the 30 days calendar days or business days?

Business days. The presumption applies when the vehicle is out of service due to repair for a cumulative total of thirty business days. The section does not define the term.

Do I have to write to the manufacturer?

For the presumption to apply, yes: the manufacturer must have received prior direct written notification from or on behalf of you and had a reasonable opportunity to cure the defect. The statute does not give a number of days for the cure. The presumption is not the only route to a replacement or refund.

How long do I have to sue?

The lemon-law section states no filing deadline. The Uniform Commercial Code provision for contracts for sale gives four years from when the cause of action accrues and lets the parties shorten it by original agreement to not less than one year; the lemon law does not refer to it. Ask an attorney which period applies to you.

What can I recover, and who pays my lawyer?

The manufacturer must replace the vehicle or refund the full purchase price including all collateral charges, less a reasonable allowance for your use. A consumer injured by a violation may bring a civil action and may recover reasonable attorney's fees from the manufacturer that issued the warranty. The section has no penalties or multiplied damages, and subsection (e) preserves rights under other statutes.

Statutes cited on this page

• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(a) (definitions: consumer, motor vehicle, reasonable allowance for consumer's use, express warranty)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(b) (duty to repair a new motor vehicle; report within one year of original delivery)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(c) (manufacturer shall replace the vehicle or accept return and refund the full purchase price including collateral charges, less a reasonable allowance for use)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(d) (presumption of a reasonable number of attempts)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(h) (presumption needs prior direct written notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(f) (consumer who failed to exhaust a compliant informal dispute procedure)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(g) (affirmative defenses: no substantial impairment; abuse, neglect or unauthorized modification)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(j) (periods extended for war, strike, fire, flood and similar events)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(e) (other statutory rights and remedies are not limited)
• Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(k) (civil action; attorney's fees from the manufacturer)
• Wyo. Stat. § 31-1-101(a)(xxv) (definition of "unladen weight")
• Wyo. Stat. § 34.1-2-725(a) (U.C.C. limitation period for contracts for sale)

This page summarizes the statute in plain language and is not legal advice. The linked official text controls.