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Lemon Law Demand Letter — Washington

In Washington, a new vehicle is presumed a lemon if, within the first 2 years after delivery or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, it has had four repair attempts for a nonconformity, two attempts for a serious safety defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 days (60 days for a motor home). Below is a ready-to-edit lemon law demand letter with Washington's statute — the Lemon Law for New Motor Vehicles — already cited; add your vehicle and repair history, then send it to the manufacturer.

Washington at a glance

  • Coverage window: the first 2 years after delivery or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first.
  • The tests: four repair attempts for a nonconformity, two attempts for a serious safety defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 days (60 days for a motor home).
  • What this letter does: a statutory prerequisite to arbitration — before requesting the Attorney General’s arbitration program you must send this written demand for a refund or replacement to the manufacturer (not the dealer) and give it 40 days to respond.
  • Where it escalates: the Washington Attorney General’s New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board — free, and independent of the AG’s office and any manufacturer or dealer.
  • The Attorney General’s office recommends sending this by certified mail with return receipt requested so you have dated proof of delivery, which matters against the 30-month arbitration filing deadline.
  • The Attorney General publishes a recommended form for this notice, but using it is not mandatory — a letter with the same information satisfies the law.

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, Washington 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 for refund or replacement under Washington’s 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], Washington.

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 Washington’s Lemon Law for New Motor Vehicles (RCW 19.118), 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 within the first 2 years or 24,000 miles where the same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times (two, for a serious safety defect), or the vehicle has been out of service a cumulative 30 days (60 for a motor home).

This letter is my written demand that you replace the vehicle with a comparable new vehicle or refund the full purchase price. Please respond within 40 days. If this is not resolved, I intend to request arbitration through the Attorney General’s New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, 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 (Washington looks for four repair attempts for a nonconformity, two attempts for a serious safety defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 days (60 days for a motor home))
  • What you are demanding — a repurchase (refund) or a comparable replacement vehicle
  • A deadline for the manufacturer to respond, and where to send its response

Frequently asked questions

When does a car qualify as a lemon in Washington?

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 Washington that is presumed within the first 2 years after delivery or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, after four repair attempts for a nonconformity, two attempts for a serious safety defect, or the vehicle out of service a cumulative 30 days (60 days for a motor home). Keep every repair order; the paper trail is the claim.

Do I need to use an official form?

No form is legally required — the Attorney General publishes a recommended form, but a letter with your contact information, the vehicle, the defect, and your repair history satisfies the law equally well. What matters is sending it to the manufacturer directly (not just the dealer) and giving it 40 days to respond before you request arbitration.

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 40 days to respond to your demand. If it doesn’t resolve the problem, you can request arbitration through the Attorney General’s New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board — a free, independent program — using the AG’s Request for Arbitration form.

More lemon law demand letter templates for other states

Facts verified against official sources on September 3, 2026: atg.wa.gov, atg.wa.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.