Columbus Lemon Law

Civil actions under Ind. Code 24-5-13 are filed in Indiana state court, typically the circuit or superior court of the county where you live or where the selling dealer is located. For Columbus residents that is the Bartholomew County Circuit and Superior Courts at 234 Washington St. Before filing you must complete the manufacturer's informal dispute settlement program if it complies with 16 C.F.R. Part 703 (most major automakers' BBB AUTO LINE programs do). The two-year statute of limitations is tolled while arbitration is pending.

Indiana presumes a reasonable opportunity to repair after four attempts on the same nonconformity, or after the vehicle has been out of service for 30 cumulative business days within the 18-month/18,000-mile term of protection. The 30-day clock counts business days, not calendar days, and is extended for natural disasters and strikes. Keep every Bartholomew County dealer repair order, including 'no problem found' visits, because each documented attempt counts.

Yes, if the vehicle is below 10,000 pounds GVWR and is a covered new motor vehicle. Repeat DPF, DEF, and EGR-related warnings that produce limp-mode operation, derate events, or recurring check-engine lamps substantially impair use, value, or safety, and meet the nonconformity standard. Document every visit, including software flashes and 'no problem found' returns, and confirm the GVWR on the door-jamb sticker. Heavy-duty pickups over 10,000 pounds GVWR fall outside Indiana's lemon law and would need to proceed under federal Magnuson-Moss instead.

Generally no. Indiana's Motor Vehicle Protection Act applies only to new vehicles. The narrow exception is a used vehicle still inside the original 18-month/18,000-mile window where the defect was reported during that window: the new owner can step into the original consumer's shoes. For most used purchases from Columbus or surrounding Bartholomew County dealers, your remedies are the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, or any written dealer warranty.

If the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts, you can demand a comparable replacement vehicle or a full refund. The refund includes the total contract price, sales tax, the unexpended portion of registration and excise tax, finance charges actually paid, dealer-installed options, and necessary towing and rental costs, less a use allowance. The use allowance equals miles driven before the manufacturer's acceptance of the vehicle return, multiplied by the contract price, divided by 100,000. Indiana does not authorize civil penalties, but prevailing consumers recover attorney's fees and costs.

Civil actions must be commenced within two years from the original delivery date of the vehicle. Defects must have been reported within the 18-month/18,000-mile term of protection, but the four-attempt or 30-business-day determination can mature later. The two-year period is tolled while you participate in a qualifying manufacturer informal dispute settlement program. Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claims have a four-year limitations period, which sometimes provides a backstop if Indiana's two-year window has run.