Concord Lemon Law

New Hampshire channels new-vehicle lemon law disputes to the state-run New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, administratively attached to the NH DMV with NH Department of Justice oversight in Concord, rather than directly to court. Either party may appeal a Board decision to Merrimack County Superior Court at 5 Court Street within 30 days under RSA 357-D:6. Parallel claims under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act or the NH Consumer Protection Act (RSA 358-A) may be filed in superior court. Consumer complaints can also be filed with the NH DOJ Consumer Protection Bureau, which is also based in Concord.

The statutory test does not change, but salt and brine often drive the defect pattern. Concord owners frequently log repeat ABS sensor faults, corroded connectors, stuck calipers, and parking-brake actuator failures during the first two winters of ownership. Under RSA 357-D:3, the Arbitration Board presumes the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts when the same nonconformity has been subject to repair at least three times during the warranty term, or the vehicle has been out of service 30 or more business days. Salt-driven corrosion complaints often build that presumption quickly.

RSA 357-D covers vehicles purchased or leased for personal, family, or household use. A vehicle titled to the State of New Hampshire or another government entity is generally outside the lemon law because it is not purchased for personal use. A vehicle purchased or leased by a state employee in their own name for personal use, even one used for commuting to a state job in Concord, is covered the same as any other consumer vehicle. The one-year RSA 357-D:11 filing deadline still applies.

Under RSA 357-D:3, the presumption arises after either the same nonconformity has been subject to repair at least three times during the express warranty term, OR the vehicle has been out of service for repairs for a cumulative total of 30 or more business days during the warranty term. Each repair attempt must be documented by a written examination or repair order, so save every record from your dealer visits, whether on Manchester Street, Loudon Road, or anywhere else in central New Hampshire.

Under RSA 357-D:11, you must file within one year of the later of (a) expiration of the express warranty term or (b) the manufacturer's final repair attempt. That is one of the shortest lemon law deadlines in the country. Parallel claims under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and the NH Consumer Protection Act (RSA 358-A) have their own, typically longer, limitations periods, so a Concord owner who has missed the Arbitration Board window may still have superior court options.

If the New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board rules in your favor, you can recover either a comparable replacement vehicle or a refund of the full purchase price including collateral charges (sales tax, registration, and finance charges), reduced by a use allowance calculated as purchase price times (miles driven before first repair attempt / 100,000) for passenger vehicles. RSA 357-D:10 authorizes the Board to award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to a prevailing consumer. If the manufacturer ignores the Board's decision, RSA 357-D:7 makes that conduct an unfair or deceptive act under RSA 358-A, which can support double or treble damages.