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Lemon Law Demand Letter — South Carolina

In South Carolina, a new vehicle is presumed a lemon if, within the first 12 months after purchase or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, it has had three repair attempts for the same nonconformity, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more calendar days. Below is a ready-to-edit lemon law demand letter with South Carolina's statute — the South Carolina Lemon Law — already cited; add your vehicle and repair history, then send it to the manufacturer.

South Carolina at a glance

  • Coverage window: the first 12 months after purchase or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.
  • The tests: three repair attempts for the same nonconformity, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more calendar days.
  • What this letter does: required only if the manufacturer clearly and prominently disclosed at the time of sale that written notification is required — where it applies, you must notify the manufacturer in writing, by registered, certified, or express mail, giving it a final opportunity to cure the defect.
  • Where it escalates: the manufacturer’s certified informal dispute settlement program if it has one, or South Carolina’s own state arbitration board (run by the Department of Consumer Affairs, at the manufacturer’s expense, for manufacturers without a qualifying program of their own), then civil court.
  • Where South Carolina’s notice requirement applies, the law specifies registered, certified, or express mail — check your warranty booklet or owner’s manual for the disclosure that triggers this requirement.
  • This notice requirement only applies if the manufacturer clearly and prominently disclosed it to you at the time of sale — check your sale paperwork or owner’s manual. If it wasn’t disclosed, sending this letter is still good practice even though it isn’t legally required.

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, South Carolina 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 notice under the South Carolina Lemon Law
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], South Carolina.

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 South Carolina Lemon Law (S.C. Code Ann. §§ 56-28-10 to 56-28-110), 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 nonconformity has been subject to repair three or more times, or the vehicle has been out of service a cumulative 30 or more calendar days, within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles. If the manufacturer clearly and prominently disclosed at the time of sale that written notification is required, § 56-28-50 requires that notice — by registered, certified, or express mail — giving the manufacturer a final opportunity to cure the defect.

This letter is my written notification, sent by registered, certified, or express mail, of the nonconformity described above, giving you a final opportunity to cure it, and my demand that you replace the vehicle with a comparable new vehicle or refund the full purchase price. If this is not resolved, I intend to pursue my remedies through your certified dispute settlement program, South Carolina’s state arbitration board, 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 (South Carolina looks for three repair attempts for the same nonconformity, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more calendar days)
  • What you are demanding — a repurchase (refund) or a comparable replacement vehicle
  • Proof of the mailing method — South Carolina requires this notice to go by registered, certified, or express mail

Frequently asked questions

When does a car qualify as a lemon in South Carolina?

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 South Carolina that is presumed within the first 12 months after purchase or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, after three repair attempts for the same nonconformity, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 or more calendar days. Keep every repair order; the paper trail is the claim.

Do I need to use an official form?

No official form. Whether this notice is legally required depends on whether the manufacturer clearly and prominently disclosed the requirement to you at the time of sale — check your warranty booklet or sale paperwork. Either way, sending this letter by registered, certified, or express mail is the standard practice.

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?

If the manufacturer doesn’t have a qualifying dispute settlement program of its own, South Carolina runs its own state arbitration board through the Department of Consumer Affairs — at the manufacturer’s expense, not yours. If you’re still not satisfied, you can take the matter to civil court.

More lemon law demand letter templates for other states

Facts verified against official sources on September 3, 2026: consumer.sc.gov, consumer.sc.gov.

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.