Track a letter

Lemon Law Demand Letter — Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, a new vehicle is presumed a lemon if, within the earlier of the express warranty term or 1 year after original delivery, it has had the same nonconformity repaired four or more times and still uncorrected, or the vehicle out of service an aggregate 30 or more days. Below is a ready-to-edit lemon law demand letter with Wisconsin's statute — the Wisconsin Lemon Law — already cited; add your vehicle and repair history, then send it to the manufacturer.

Wisconsin at a glance

  • Coverage window: the earlier of the express warranty term or 1 year after original delivery.
  • The tests: the same nonconformity repaired four or more times and still uncorrected, or the vehicle out of service an aggregate 30 or more days.
  • What this letter does: the trigger for your remedy — written notice to the manufacturer describing the nonconformity and repair history documents that the "reasonable attempt to repair" threshold has been met and starts your claim for a refund or replacement.
  • Where it escalates: the manufacturer’s certified informal dispute settlement program if it has one, or a civil lawsuit — a consumer who prevails at trial is awarded twice the pecuniary loss, plus costs, disbursements, and reasonable attorney’s fees.
  • Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation publishes an optional notice form (MV2691) and recommends sending it by certified mail so you can prove when the manufacturer received it — this letter works just as well as that form.
  • Wisconsin ties coverage to the warranty term or 1 year from delivery, whichever is earlier — there’s no separate mileage cap in the statute itself, unlike most other states.

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, Wisconsin 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 of nonconformity under the Wisconsin Lemon Law (Wis. Stat. § 218.0171)
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], Wisconsin.

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 Wisconsin’s Lemon Law (Wis. Stat. § 218.0171), a manufacturer that cannot conform a new motor vehicle to its express warranty after a reasonable attempt to repair must, at the consumer’s election, replace the vehicle with a comparable new one or refund the full purchase price. A reasonable attempt to repair occurs where the same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times and continues, or the vehicle has been out of service an aggregate 30 or more days, within the earlier of the express warranty term or 1 year after delivery. Under § 218.0171(7), a consumer who prevails at trial is awarded twice the pecuniary loss, plus costs, disbursements, and reasonable attorney’s fees.

This letter is my written notice of the nonconformity described above and my election to receive [a comparable replacement vehicle / a full refund of the purchase price]. If this is not resolved, I intend to pursue my remedies under Wisconsin’s Lemon Law, 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 (Wisconsin looks for the same nonconformity repaired four or more times and still uncorrected, or the vehicle out of service an aggregate 30 or more days)
  • 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 Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin that is presumed within the earlier of the express warranty term or 1 year after original delivery, after the same nonconformity repaired four or more times and still uncorrected, or the vehicle out of service an aggregate 30 or more days. Keep every repair order; the paper trail is the claim.

Do I need to use an official form?

No — using the Department of Transportation’s optional Motor Vehicle Lemon Law Notice and Nonconformity Report (form MV2691) is not required. A letter with the same information — describing the defect, the repair history, and your demand — satisfies the law equally well.

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 honor your election of a refund or replacement, you can pursue its certified dispute settlement program if it has one, or sue directly. Wisconsin’s remedy is unusually strong: a consumer who prevails at trial recovers twice the pecuniary loss, not just the loss itself, plus costs and attorney’s fees.

More lemon law demand letter templates for other states

Facts verified against official sources on September 3, 2026: docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, wisconsindot.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.