Manchester 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, rather than directly to court. Either party may appeal a Board decision to Hillsborough County Superior Court North in Manchester 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.

The statutory test does not change, but salt and brine often drive the defect pattern. Manchester 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.

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 South Willow Street, in Bedford, or anywhere else in southern New Hampshire.

Yes, but only if the original lease term is two years or more. RSA 357-D:3 sets out a specific refund formula: the lessee receives all lease payments and capitalized entry costs back, and the manufacturer pays the lessor the lessor's actual purchase cost plus a 5% allowance, less the amount returned to the lessee. Leases shorter than two years and most short-term rentals are not covered. The same use-allowance offset based on miles driven before the first repair attempt applies.

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 Manchester 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 in a separate court action.