Minnesota Used Car Lemon Law: Request a Covered Repair

Which seller and mileage band apply?

This warranty concerns a used passenger vehicle, including a pickup or van, bought primarily for personal, family, or household use rather than resale. The seller must be in the business of selling or arranging used-car sales in Minnesota. A business acting as a dealer can fall within the law even if it lacks the required license; an ordinary private-party sale does not carry this dealer warranty.

Find the legal seller's name on the sales agreement and the odometer reading at purchase. The minimum warranty periods below apply only after checking the seller and vehicle exclusions.

The last row excludes sales by a new motor vehicle dealer, the dealer category under Minnesota Statutes §168.27, subdivision 2. Such a dealership can sell both new and used vehicles. Buying a used car from its used-car department does not make it an independent used-car dealer. Ask for the seller's license category if that distinction is disputed.

Exactly 36,000 miles puts a car in the second band; exactly 75,000 puts it in the third. At 200,000 miles or more at sale, this statutory warranty is not required. The mileage allowances in the table mean miles driven after purchase, not the vehicle's total odometer limit. Record the purchase date and starting mileage together.

The dealer definition excludes banks and financial institutions, and businesses selling a vehicle to their own employee. It also excludes a lessor selling the leased vehicle to its lessee or the lessee's family member or employee.

A licensed auctioneer is excluded when vehicle sales are incidental to selling other property. Certain demonstration vehicles also fall outside the law: vehicles sold by a dealer franchised to sell them, driven for demonstration on dealer plates, and carrying manufacturer coverage at least as broad in parts and duration. Identify these sale conditions before treating every commercial sale alike.

Do price, age, or vehicle exclusions remove coverage?

For vehicles sold with fewer than 75,000 miles, two exclusions can remove the mandatory warranty:

• A total cash sale price below $3,000. Count the trade-in value toward that price. Exclude taxes, license fees, registration fees, and finance charges. A price of exactly $3,000 is not below the cutoff.
• A vehicle age of eight years or more. Age is counted from January 1 of the designated model year, rather than from when you bought it or when its first owner took delivery.

Those price and age exclusions do not apply to the qualifying 75,000-through-199,999-mile sales in the table's third row. An older or lower-priced car from a covered used-car dealer can therefore qualify in that band. The new-motor-vehicle-dealer exception and the other exclusions still matter.

Other excluded vehicles include:

• Vehicles with a diesel engine.
• Vehicles custom-built or modified for show or racing.
• Vehicles from a manufacturer that has never produced more than 10,000 motor vehicles in any single year.
• Vehicles not manufactured to the applicable federal emissions and safety standards.
• Vehicles issued a title bearing a salvage brand or stamp.

Another exclusion concerns gross weight over 9,000 pounds under Minnesota Statutes §168.002, subdivision 13. For a truck, that definition generally combines the vehicle's unloaded weight, equipped for service, with the maximum load elected for it. It is not simply the car's current scale weight or the manufacturer's maximum weight rating. If weight is the dealer's reason for denial, ask which vehicle record and statutory calculation it used.

Gather the sales agreement, trade-in terms, title, odometer disclosure, and warranty documents before paying for additional evidence. If this mandatory warranty does not apply, a separate written warranty or transferable manufacturer warranty may still cover the repair. The used-car warranty guide explains how to identify that separate obligation.

Which failed parts does the warranty cover?

The minimum coverage is a list of components, not a promise to fix everything that goes wrong. Ask the dealer or mechanic to name the failed part and distinguish it from the symptom. For a qualifying vehicle, the common list includes:

• Engine components: lubricated engine parts, intake manifolds, the engine block and cylinder head, rotary-engine housings, and the ring gear.
• Transmission components: the transmission case and internal parts, plus the torque converter for an automatic transmission.
• Drive-axle components: housings and internal parts, axle shafts, drive shafts, output shafts, and universal joints. On vehicles mounted on a truck chassis, the secondary drive axle is excluded unless the vehicle is a passenger van.
• Brake components: the master cylinder, vacuum-assist booster, wheel cylinders, hydraulic lines and fittings, and disc-brake calipers.
• Steering components: the steering-gear housing and its internal parts, power-steering pump, valve body, and piston.
• Other specified pumps: the water pump and the externally mounted mechanical fuel pump.

For cars sold with fewer than 36,000 miles, the list also includes the steering rack, radiator, alternator, generator, and starter. Those additions are not part of the minimum list for the higher-mileage bands. Your written warranty may promise broader coverage, so retain it even if you believe the statute applies.

A report that "the brakes are bad" does not establish whether a listed hydraulic component failed or an unlisted wear item needs replacement. A written diagnosis should identify the component, the problem found, and any claimed cause.

The statutory warranty excludes problems caused after sale by collision, abuse, negligence, or inadequate maintenance. If the dealer blames maintenance, request the findings connecting the missed maintenance to this failure. The timing of a breakdown alone does not settle that question.

Also check remaining manufacturer coverage. The dealer is not required under this statutory warranty to repair a part when the repair is covered by the manufacturer's new-car warranty or the manufacturer otherwise agrees to repair it. Obtain confirmation of the coverage and repair location from the manufacturer or its authorized dealer.

Does an "as is" form or a signed waiver defeat the warranty?

A general "as is" statement does not erase this mandatory warranty on a qualifying sale. Minnesota treats the required warranty as given even when the dealer fails to provide it. The dealer must disclose the warranty's duration and covered parts on the front of the Buyers Guide, the window form describing the dealer's warranty terms.

A waiver for a particular covered part is different. It requires both of these steps when you purchase the vehicle:

1. The front of the Buyers Guide contains a clear, conspicuous typed or printed statement identifying a malfunction, defect, or repair problem in the part being waived.
2. You circle that statement and sign the Buyers Guide next to it.

Keep the actual Guide, including its front, alongside the contract. A signature elsewhere on a general disclaimer does not by itself satisfy this process. If the dealer relies on a waiver, ask it to identify the disclosed part, the circled statement, and the adjacent signature. Compare that part with the diagnosis of the current failure.

Notify the selling dealer during the warranty period

Promptly report the covered failure before the applicable time or mileage limit is reached. Send the selling dealer a written description using its warranty contact or a working business contact from your sales documents. Include the purchase date and mileage, first symptom date and mileage, current reading, and what the car is doing. Writing provides a record; the statute's requirement is prompt notice within the warranty period.

The dealer's duty can continue after the stated period ends if you reported the covered failure promptly during that period and arranged timely access for inspection and repair. Specifically, within a reasonable time after notice, you must bring the vehicle to the dealer or arrange with the dealer to have it brought in. Save the delivery instructions, appointment confirmation, and explanations for any delay.

If you already called, retain a note of the date, recipient, and symptoms reported, and follow up in writing. Keep the sent message, attachments, and reply so you can show what the dealer received and when. Send the initial report with the facts available; supplement it when the diagnosis arrives.

A written repair request you can adapt

Replace the brackets with your own facts. This is a preparation example; you must send it to the selling dealer yourself.

Subject: Warranty inspection and repair request for [vehicle]

I bought [year, make, model, VIN] from [dealer's legal name] on [purchase date], with [sale mileage] miles recorded at sale.

The vehicle developed [observed symptoms] on [date] at [mileage]. Its current reading is [mileage] as of [date]. [Describe any earlier report and attach a diagnosis if available.] I am reporting this failure and requesting inspection and any repair covered by Minnesota Statutes §325F.662 and the warranty provided with the sale.

Please identify the person handling this request, where the vehicle should be inspected, and how to arrange delivery or towing. If another shop should perform the work, please confirm the shop, authorized work, and payment arrangements before work begins.

If you decline coverage, please give the specific reason and supporting records, including any part exclusion, claimed post-sale damage, or Buyers Guide waiver. Please identify any proposed diagnostic or other charges before I authorize them.

Attached copies: [sales agreement, Buyers Guide, warranty, symptom records, and any diagnosis currently available].

[Your name and private reply details]

Retain the original documents and proof that you sent the request. Filling in this example does not notify the dealer or establish that your particular notice is timely.

Who chooses the repair shop?

Start with the selling dealer. If it has no repair facility, it must designate a place for inspection and repair. Ask for the shop's name, contact person, intake instructions, and the work the dealer has authorized.

When the breakdown location makes returning to the selling dealer impossible or unreasonable, you can use another repairer with that dealer's consent. The dealer cannot unreasonably withhold that consent. Obtain its response in writing before authorizing an outside warranty repair, and preserve any refusal and the reason returning the car is impractical.

If the car is unsafe to drive, ask the dealer about towing and authorization instead of driving it back. Confirm who will arrange and pay for transport, diagnosis, and any work outside the warranty. Do not treat a possible covered part as approval of every outside-shop charge.

Routine maintenance and nonwarranty repairs can be performed elsewhere without the selling dealer's consent. That permission is different from approval to have another shop perform a warranty repair at the dealer's expense. If you already paid an outside shop, retain the invoice, diagnosis, and communications and request a written reimbursement decision.

At intake and return, obtain a repair order showing dates, odometer readings, the reported problem, diagnosis, work performed, and any charges. After repair or replacement of a covered part, the dealer remains responsible for that part for one additional warranty period. Ask for its new date and mileage limits in writing; this does not restart coverage for every part of the car.

What if the dealer still refuses the repair?

Ask the manager for a coverage decision that addresses the disputed fact. A refusal based on age, price, or mileage should identify the sale records and seller category used. A part exclusion or waiver should identify the actual component and disclosure. A claim of post-sale damage should identify the diagnostic findings supporting that explanation.

Use the car warranty denial guide to organize a response to that specific reason. For this statutory dealer warranty, the repair request goes to the selling dealer. If you separately bought a service contract, its administrator and authorization procedure may be different; sending the dealer a notice does not automatically open a claim under that contract.

The dealer may choose to accept the car's return and provide the statutory refund instead of repairing or replacing a covered part. That choice does not give every buyer an automatic refund on demand. If a return is proposed, obtain an itemized refund calculation and the vehicle-return terms, including how any lender will be paid, before agreeing.

For an unresolved complaint, open the state consumer-protection directory and choose Minnesota to reach the Attorney General's office. Follow that office's complaint instructions and provide copies of the sales documents, Guide, notice, repair records, and denial. Keep the submission confirmation. A complaint starts an agency process; it is not a payment award.

A private warranty lawsuit under §325F.662 must be started within one year after the express warranty expires. This is separate from the much shorter requirement to notify the dealer during coverage. Do not rely on an agency complaint to preserve a court deadline.

If the dealer disputes a waiver, timely notice, or the available remedy, seek advice from a Minnesota consumer-law attorney with these records. The Minnesota courts' Find a Lawyer page links to legal-clinic information; check whether a clinic handles your issue and whether eligibility restrictions apply. Confirm fees and expenses before hiring private counsel.

The immediate goal is a supported coverage answer and a named person and location for the covered repair. Send the dealer your available records, retain its instructions or refusal, and use that response to identify the remaining dispute.

Full guide: Used Car Lemon Law: State-by-State Guide