Consumer protection guide · WY
Wyoming Lemon Law
Under Wyoming's lemon law, a new vehicle qualifies as a lemon after 4 unsuccessful repair attempts or 30 cumulative business days out of service, entitling the buyer to a refund or a replacement vehicle.
Wyoming Lemon Law
StatuteWyo. Stat. Ann. § 40-17-101 et seq.· Enacted 1985
Last reviewed
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12 mo
Coverage period
4
Repair attempts
30 days
Days out of service
Business days, cumulative for warranty work
—
Statute of limitations
Not reviewed yet — ask an attorney
If you bought or leased a new vehicle in Wyoming that keeps going back to the dealer for the same unresolved defect, you may be protected under Wyoming Lemon Law (enacted 1985), codified at Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 40-17-101 et seq. This guide explains — in plain English — how the law works, what qualifies a vehicle as a lemon in Wyoming, what remedies you can demand from the manufacturer, and how to file a claim. It is not legal advice; when a real dispute emerges you should consult a licensed Wyoming consumer attorney.
What the Wyoming lemon law covers
Qualifying criteria
The law covers new vehicles and leased vehicles. The defect must appear within the first 12 months of original delivery. The manufacturer or its authorized dealer must have had at least 4 opportunities to fix the same defect. OR the vehicle must have been out of service for at least 30 cumulative business days for warranty repairs during the coverage period.
Your remedies
If your vehicle qualifies, the Wyoming lemon law requires the manufacturer to provide a refund or a replacement vehicle. The statute (Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 40-17-101 et seq.) decides who chooses between them, what a refund must include — often the purchase price plus taxes and fees — and how much the manufacturer may deduct for your use of the vehicle. A replacement must be comparable to the vehicle it replaces. If you win, Wyoming law can also make the manufacturer pay your reasonable attorney's fees, which is why many lemon-law attorneys take these cases without an upfront fee.
How to file a Wyoming lemon law claim
Here is how a typical Wyoming lemon-law claim unfolds: (1) Keep every repair order the dealer gives you — dates, mileage, the defect description, and the parts replaced. These become your evidence. (2) Send the manufacturer written notice of the defect after the third or fourth repair attempt and request a final repair opportunity. (3) Go through the manufacturer's informal dispute settlement procedure (if it has one that complies with 16 C.F.R. Part 703) before going to court for a lemon-law remedy — Wyoming requires this step. (4) Ask a Wyoming lemon-law attorney early which filing deadline applies: some lemon laws set their own, and others rely on general limitation periods.
Notice requirement
Write to the manufacturer itself, not only the dealer. Wyoming presumes the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of repair attempts (the same defect repaired more than 3 times, or 30 cumulative business days out of service, within the first year) only if it received prior direct written notice from you or on your behalf and had a reasonable opportunity to fix the defect (Wyo. Stat. § 40-17-101(d), (h)). Separately, if the manufacturer has an informal dispute settlement procedure that complies with federal law (16 C.F.R. Part 703), go through it first: the refund-or-replacement remedy doesn't apply to a buyer who hasn't exhausted it (§ 40-17-101(f)).
Required arbitration program
manufacturer's informal dispute settlement procedure (if it has one that complies with 16 C.F.R. Part 703)
Federal backup: Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
Whether or not your claim fits the Wyoming lemon law, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.) provides an independent cause of action whenever a written warranty has been breached. Magnuson-Moss applies in every state, allows you to recover attorney’s fees and costs from the manufacturer when you prevail, and covers used vehicles sold with an express written warranty — filling many of the gaps that narrow state lemon laws leave open.
Wyoming lemon law FAQs
Lemon laws in other states
Check a Wyoming VIN for a lemon-law buyback before you buy
Many states require a manufacturer buyback to be branded on the title (California’s “Lemon Law Buyback” brand, for example), but not all do — some only require a written disclosure to the next buyer. A full vehicle history report shows title brands where they were reported; the free VIN check does not.