Track a letter

Lemon Law Demand Letter — Indiana

In Indiana, a new vehicle is presumed a lemon if, within report the defect within 18 months or 18,000 miles of original delivery (claims must be filed within 2 years of delivery), it has had four repair attempts for the same defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more business days. Below is a ready-to-edit lemon law demand letter with Indiana's statute — the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act — already cited; add your vehicle and repair history, then send it to the manufacturer.

Indiana at a glance

  • Coverage window: report the defect within 18 months or 18,000 miles of original delivery (claims must be filed within 2 years of delivery).
  • The tests: four repair attempts for the same defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more business days.
  • What this letter does: statutorily required — a written demand sent by certified mail to the manufacturer’s address in your owner’s manual; the manufacturer then has 14 days to make a final repair attempt.
  • Where it escalates: Indiana’s Motor Vehicle Protection Program (MVPP) — a free, Attorney-General-certified arbitration/mediation program, required first if the manufacturer participates — then a civil lawsuit, where a prevailing consumer recovers costs and attorney’s fees.
  • Indiana’s law requires this demand to go by certified mail to the manufacturer’s address as listed in your owner’s manual.
  • Indiana has a two-stage deadline: report the defect within 18 months or 18,000 miles, but you have up to 2 years from delivery to actually file a claim.

Lemon Law Demand Letter

Copy the letter below into the editor, replace the text in [brackets] with your details, and PostPal will print and mail it for you.

Subject: Lemon Law Notice — Demand for Repurchase or Replacement
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, Indiana ZIP Code]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Email]

[Date]

[Manufacturer Name] — Customer Relations / Owner Relations
[Manufacturer Address — listed in your warranty booklet or owner's manual]

RE: Written demand under the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act (Ind. Code § 24-5-13)
Vehicle: [Year] [Make] [Model], VIN [VIN]

Dear [Manufacturer Name] Owner Relations,

I am the [owner / lessee] of a [Year] [Make] [Model], VIN [VIN], purchased [or leased] new on [Purchase Date] from [Dealer Name] in [City], Indiana.

Since delivery, the vehicle has exhibited the following defect: [describe the defect and how it impairs the vehicle's use, value, or safety]. The vehicle has been presented to your authorized dealer for repair of this defect on the following occasions:

• [Date] — [Repair order #] — [What was done]
• [Date] — [Repair order #] — [What was done]
• [Date] — [Repair order #] — [What was done]

In total, the defect has been subject to [number] repair attempts, and the vehicle has been out of service for [number] days. The defect remains uncorrected.

Under the Indiana Motor Vehicle Protection Act (Ind. Code §§ 24-5-13-1 to 24-5-13-24), a manufacturer that cannot conform a new motor vehicle to its warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts must replace it or refund the purchase price. A reasonable number of attempts is presumed where the same defect has been subject to repair four or more times, or the vehicle has been out of service a cumulative 30 or more business days, reported within 18 months or 18,000 miles of original delivery.

This letter is my written demand, sent by certified mail, that you replace the vehicle with a comparable new vehicle or refund the full purchase price. You have 14 days from receipt to make a final repair attempt. If the defect is not corrected, I intend to pursue my remedies through Indiana’s Motor Vehicle Protection Program, if you participate, or in court, without further notice to you.

Copies of my repair orders are available on request. Please respond in writing to the address above.

Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]

What your lemon law demand letter must include

  • Your full name, address, and contact details
  • The vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN, plus the purchase/lease date and selling dealer
  • A clear description of the defect and how it impairs the vehicle’s use, value, or safety
  • The full repair history: dates, repair-order numbers, and days out of service (Indiana looks for four repair attempts for the same defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more business days)
  • What you are demanding — a repurchase (refund) or a comparable replacement vehicle
  • Proof of the mailing method — Indiana requires this notice to go by certified mail

Frequently asked questions

When does a car qualify as a lemon in Indiana?

The defect must substantially impair the vehicle's use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer must have had a reasonable chance to fix it — in Indiana that is presumed within report the defect within 18 months or 18,000 miles of original delivery (claims must be filed within 2 years of delivery), after four repair attempts for the same defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more business days. Keep every repair order; the paper trail is the claim.

Do I need to use an official form?

No official form. Indiana’s law requires this demand to go by certified mail to the manufacturer’s address listed in your owner’s manual — this letter satisfies the content requirement.

Who do I send the letter to — the dealer or the manufacturer?

The manufacturer. Lemon law obligations run against the vehicle manufacturer, not the selling dealer — send it to the manufacturer’s customer/owner relations address listed in your warranty booklet or owner’s manual (PostPal’s where-to-mail directory also lists head-office addresses for major automakers like Ford, General Motors, and Tesla). Keep dealing with the dealer for the repairs themselves.

What happens after I send it?

The manufacturer has 14 days from receiving your demand to make one final repair attempt. If it doesn’t fix the defect, and it participates in Indiana’s Motor Vehicle Protection Program, you generally must try that free arbitration/mediation process first; if you’re still not satisfied, or the manufacturer doesn’t participate, you can sue — a prevailing consumer recovers costs and attorney’s fees.

More lemon law demand letter templates for other states

Facts verified against official sources on September 3, 2026: in.gov, carlemon.com.

This template is provided for convenience only. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Court limits and rules change — confirm anything time-sensitive on the official page, and consult a qualified legal professional for advice specific to your situation.