What Are the Odds Your Lemon Lands You in Court?

May 15, 2017

Selecting and buying a new vehicle is an ordeal in itself. Couple this with the uncertainty surrounding the vehicle’s performance, reliability and dependability, and the experience can quickly become downright debilitating. No one wants to end up with perpetual maintenance issues that turn their huge new purchase and financial commitment into a giant piece of scrap metal. As the Lemon Law Experts, we ran through the numbers and identified which vehicle manufacturers end up in court most frequently.

You can also view our infographic from the study here.

We’ve pulled every breach of warranty case filed in the United States between 2013 and 2016 and compared this data against 13 of the most popular vehicle brands in the United States. Although many cases are settled out of court, and therefore not included in the stats below, this will give you an overview of how likely you are to end up in extended litigation with the manufacturer of your new vehicle.

Select your vehicle manufacturer below to find out your chances of getting a lemon!

Audi | BMW | Fiat | Ford | Kia | Honda | Hyundai | Mazda | Mercedes-Benz | Nissan | Tesla | Toyota | Volkswagen

Ford Models Reported as Lemons:

Focus

Fusion

Fiesta

Escape

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 9,769,725

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 2,773

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 3,523

Fun fact: This is roughly the same probability that your baby will be born with a tooth (.033%).

Volkswagen Models Reported as Lemons:

Beetles

Jettas

Tiguans

Touregs

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 1,447,062

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 583

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 2,482

Fun fact: You are 4 times more likely to get injured by a toilet.

Most Common Models Reported as Lemons:

335i

135i

535i

X6 xDrive35i Sports Activity Coupes

Z4 roadsters

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 1,308,197

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 647

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 2,021

Fun fact: You are 10 times more likely to date a millionaire.

Most Common Models Reported as Lemons:

A4

A5

A6

A7

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 752,496

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 59

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 12,754

Fun fact: You have a similar chance of finding a pearl in an oyster (.0083%).

Mercedes-Benz Models Reported as Lemons:

C

CLK

CLS

SLK

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 1,435,582

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 297

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 4,833

Fun fact: You have the same odds as hitting a hole-in-one in golf.

Nissan Models Reported as Lemons:

Versa

Sentra,

Cube

Altima

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 5,179, 080

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 473

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 10,949

Fun fact: 60 times more likely than getting dealt a royal flush in your poker game.

Kia Models Reported as Lemons:

Amante

Cadenza

Forte

Optima

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 2,388,839

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 158

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 15,119

Fun fact: You’re 3 times as likely to catch a foul ball during a baseball game.

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 88,378

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 3

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 29,459

Fun fact: You are 30 times more likely to get audited by the IRS.

Toyota Models Reported as Lemons:

Camry

RAV4

Corolla

Prius

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 8,103,166

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 133

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 60,926

Fun fact: You are more likely to be struck by lightning during your lifetime (.0083%)

Mazda Models Reported as Lemons:

Mazda 3

Mazda 5

Mazda 6

MPV

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 1,206,704

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 33

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 36,566

Fun fact: You are 100 times more likely to be born with 11 fingers or toes.

Fiat- Chrysler Models Reported as Lemons:

500

500c,

Punto

Linea

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 164, 509

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 8

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 20,563

Fun fact: You are roughly 250 times more likely to make it to the NBA as a college basketball player.

Honda Models Reported as Lemons:

Accord

CRV

Civic

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 5,618,173

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 225

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 24,969

Fun fact: You are 4 times more likely to get a lemon with a Honda than date a supermodel.

Hyundai Models Reported as Lemons:

Accent

Elantra

Ezera

Entourage

and more

Total # of vehicles sold 2013 – 2016: 2,976,268

Total # of breach of warranty cases 2013 – 2016: 200

Total sales per warranty case 2013 – 2016: 14,881

Fun fact: You have a similar chance of getting injured by fireworks.

Data Limitations:

*Date range: 2013 – 2016

*Data sources: Lexis Advance, Automotive News

*Cases only reflect those that were filed electronically.

*Number of cars sold reflects US sales only.