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New Rochelle Lemon Law

New Rochelle Lemon Law Attorney

At RockPoint Law, lemon law is our core practice, and the drivers we act for here are New Rochelle people whose new car keeps coming back to the service lane with the same fault, maybe a gearbox that thumps between first and second on the Hutchinson River Parkway, or a lane-keeping system that shuts off on I-95, or a battery warning the dealer on Main Street has reset twice.

Free Case Evaluation

Three quick questions. No cost, no obligation.

  1. The year and make of your vehicle
  2. What the dealer has already tried
  3. How to reach you, and we review it
Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323

Sending this does not create an attorney-client relationship. A case evaluation is a first step, not legal representation.

Since New York's lemon law is a state law, it reads the same in Westchester as it does anywhere else, and the thing that changes for you is where everything happens. The Attorney General's hearing list includes Yonkers, and a court review of your award can be brought in Westchester County, where you live. Our office is over in Manhasset, which is 9.8 miles away in a straight line across Long Island Sound.

  • Westchester hearing site
  • White Plains for court review
  • No fee unless we recover

Our New York attorney: Steven P. Nassi, New York Attorney Registration No. 4263489, licensed in New York since 2004.

Key facts

New Rochelle lemon law at a glance

The figures a New Rochelle claim runs into, in the order you meet them, from the first repair visit to a challenge in a Westchester court.

Key facts for a New Rochelle claim under the New York New Car Lemon Law, General Business Law section 198-a
Key figureWhat it meansWhere it comes from
Two yearsor 18,000 milesThe defect has to show up within the first 18,000 miles or two years after delivery, whichever comes first. For a car used mainly for the station run, the two-year date usually arrives first.Section 198-a(b)(1)
4 repairssame defectOne fault repaired four or more times inside that window, and still there.Section 198-a(d)(1)
30 daysout of serviceThirty or more calendar days in the shop in total, and the days can come from different faults.Section 198-a(d)(2)
20 daysafter your letterIf the dealer has not begun work seven days after your report, a certified letter gives the manufacturer 20 days to start. If it does not, no repair count is needed.Section 198-a(b)(2)
28 Liberty Stwhere the request goesThe arbitration request is sent to the Lemon Law Unit in Manhattan, or via email. The Attorney General's White Plains office takes consumer fraud complaints, not lemon law requests.AG Request for Arbitration form, rev. 03/2025
$250filing feePaid to the program administrator after the claim is accepted. The day it arrives is the filing date, and a decision in your favor awards it back.AG Request for Arbitration form, rev. 03/2025; 13 NYCRR 300.5 and 300.16(c)
YonkersWestchester hearing siteOne of the 30 hearing locations on the form, and the one in Westchester. The hearing must be held within 35 days of the filing date.Form question 22; 13 NYCRR 300.7(e) and (g)
90 daysto challenge an awardEither side can ask a court to vacate or modify the award, but only in the county where you live or where the hearing was held. For New Rochelle, that is Westchester.CPLR 7511(a); section 198-a(k)
4 yearsfrom deliveryThe outer limit to bring an action, counted from original delivery. We treat it as the limit for arbitration as well.Section 198-a(j)
The Short Answer

What is the lemon law in New Rochelle?

New Rochelle drivers are covered by New York's lemon law, and there is no separate city or county version. If a new car bought or registered in New York has the same warranty defect repaired four times without success, or sits in the shop for 30 days, within the first 18,000 miles or two years, the manufacturer must refund it or replace it. You choose which. Most claims go to the Attorney General's arbitration program, and Yonkers is the Westchester location on its hearing list.

New cars fall under General Business Law section 198-a. Used cars sold by a dealer have their own statute, section 198-b, which we summarize further down this page. Both are covered in depth on our New York lemon law page. Starting a claim from New Rochelle raises its own questions: where the hearing can be held, which Westchester courts can touch the case, which state office handles what, and the timing problems a commuter's car tends to run into.

The qualifying routes are the same across the state, so here they are in short. The same defect repaired four or more times and still present. Thirty or more calendar days out of service, counting different faults together. Or a dealer that will not begin repairs, followed by 20 days of inaction from the manufacturer after your certified letter. Meeting any one is enough.

Three dates to put in your calendar

  • End of coverage. The defect must first appear within 18,000 miles or two years of delivery, whichever comes first.
  • Last day to file. Section 198-a(j) requires any action within four years of original delivery. Treat that as the outer limit for arbitration as well.
  • Last day to challenge an award. Either side has 90 days after the award is delivered to ask a court to vacate or modify it, under CPLR section 7511(a).

Two limits catch people out early. The law protects a vehicle used primarily for personal, family or household purposes, which the Attorney General reads as personal use more than half the time, so a van that mostly works for a business may fall outside it. And the Attorney General's Westchester Regional Office in White Plains handles consumer fraud complaints but does not run lemon law arbitration. Where the state statute stops, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act often still applies, and our lemon law glossary explains the terms.

Eligibility

Does your car qualify in New Rochelle?

The tests come from state law, so they apply the same way here as in every other New York county. If your repair history fits any one of the routes below, the law assumes the manufacturer has already had its reasonable chances. Open a local example, or run the quick self-check against your own repair orders. For the full statutory wording, see our New York lemon law page.

In New Rochelle the routes tend to fail on two things: repair orders that describe the same fault three different ways, and a two-year date that slips past on a low-mileage car while the fault comes and goes.

Four Repairs, Same Defect

One fault, repaired four or more times within the first 18,000 miles or two years, and it is still there. Wording decides this route. When one repair order says "vibration at speed," the next says "customer states noise" and the third says "could not verify," the manufacturer will argue those are three separate complaints. Describe the problem in the same words at every visit and check the printed order before you leave.

A New Rochelle example A new SUV taken back to a Main Street service department four times for the same shudder on the highway on-ramp, and still shuddering at 13,000 miles

Thirty Days in the Shop

The car spends 30 or more calendar days out of service for repair, in total. Under section 198-a(d)(2) the days can come from different faults. Weekends and holidays count, so a car that sits waiting for a part from Friday to Tuesday has added five days. The drop-off and pick-up dates on each repair order are the evidence.

A New Rochelle example A sedan out of service twelve days for an infotainment fault, nine for a coolant leak and eleven for a sensor, 32 days across three visits

The Dealer Will Not Start

Say the dealer has your report and still has not begun work seven days later. Send the manufacturer a letter by certified mail with a return receipt. From the day it receives your letter, the manufacturer has 20 days to begin. If it does not, the refund or replacement remedy is available without any repair count. When a service advisor tells you the first open appointment is a month away, note the date and the person's name.

A New Rochelle example A dealer that keeps saying it is waiting on the manufacturer's approval, while no work order for your complaint ever gets written

Inside the Coverage Window

The defect must show up within the first 18,000 miles or two years after delivery, whichever comes first, and you have four years from delivery to file. For a car used mainly for the station run and weekend errands, the two-year date usually arrives first, so report a problem the week you notice it rather than at the next scheduled service.

A New Rochelle example A commuter's crossover at 7,400 miles and 22 months, with a stalling complaint first written up at month five: inside the window, and well inside the four years

Keep the paper trail

Each visit should end with a printed repair order that states your complaint in your own words, the date you dropped the car off, the date you collected it and the mileage. Get one even when the shop says it found nothing. A "no problem found" order still records that you reported the fault, and when.

New York backs you on this. As the Attorney General's guide describes it, Department of Motor Vehicles rules make a dealer hand over a legible, accurate work order for every repair, free warranty work included. If you use more than one dealer, perhaps one near home and one near work, collect the orders from both, because they all count toward the total. Keep them in one folder with the delivery paperwork, which sets your two-year date.

Not sure whether your repair history meets one of the routes? Send it to us for a straight answer.

Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323
Where your case is heard

Filing from New Rochelle: the hearing, the courts and White Plains

People often assume a lemon law case means a trial in a courtroom. In New York it usually starts as an arbitration, and you choose where that arbitration happens. A court only becomes involved if you decide to sue or if one side challenges the award. Even then, for a New Rochelle driver the courts involved are almost all in Westchester County.

A Hearing Site in Westchester

The state's request form lists 30 hearing locations, and Yonkers is the Westchester one. The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Carmel are also on the list. Hearings can be held in the evening or at a weekend. If you cannot attend in person you can ask for a virtual hearing, although the manufacturer is allowed to object.

An Award Challenge Stays in the County

Either side has 90 days to ask a court to vacate or modify an award. Section 198-a(k) allows that proceeding only in the county where you live or where the arbitration was held. Live in New Rochelle and take the Westchester hearing site, and both roads lead to Westchester, whose Supreme and County Courts share the courthouse at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in White Plains.

New Rochelle City Court Stops at $15,000

If you sue rather than arbitrate, the amount decides the court. City Courts outside New York City, New Rochelle City Court at 475 North Avenue among them, hear civil claims up to $15,000. The Westchester County Court hears claims up to $25,000. A buyback on a recent car usually runs higher, which puts it in Supreme Court. Section 198-a(l) lets a court award reasonable attorney's fees to a consumer who wins.

Federal Court Sits in White Plains

A claim under the federal Magnuson-Moss Act can be brought in federal court only when at least $50,000 is in controversy, under 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d)(3). 28 U.S.C. section 112(b) places Westchester County in the Southern District of New York, which holds court in Manhattan, in White Plains and in Orange County. A consumer who finally prevails may recover costs and attorney's fees under section 2310(d)(2), at the court's discretion.

How a claim moves

You send the request to the Attorney General's Lemon Law Unit, at 28 Liberty Street in Manhattan or by email. The unit decides whether the claim is eligible. Accepted claims are handed to the New York State Dispute Resolution Association. That body collects the $250 filing fee for a new car and sets the hearing date. You do not have to visit either office in person.

On question 22 of the new car request form you choose where the hearing takes place. Of the 30 locations listed, Yonkers is the one in Westchester. The regulation behind the list, 13 NYCRR section 300.7(g), names Westchester as an area where a regular hearing site must be kept. The same section sets the hearing within 35 days of the filing date and allows evening and weekend times.

The state office in White Plains, and what it handles

The Attorney General has a Westchester Regional Office at 44 South Broadway in White Plains, covering Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties, with its own consumer frauds line. If a dealer lied about a price, buried a fee in the contract or refused a refund it had agreed to, that office can take the complaint.

A lemon law claim against a manufacturer is handled elsewhere. The request for arbitration goes to the Lemon Law Arbitration Unit at 28 Liberty Street in Manhattan, or to the email address printed on the form. Send a defect claim to the regional office and it may sit there while the four years from delivery keep running. Some claims involve both a dealer problem and a manufacturer defect. In that case each part goes to the office that decides it, and we file them in the right order.

Westchester venue at a glance
  • Arbitration hearing: the location you pick on question 22 of the form. Yonkers is the Westchester site; the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Carmel are the other nearby choices.
  • Challenge to an award: Westchester County, if you live in New Rochelle or the hearing was held in Westchester. The Supreme and County Courts sit at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains, NY 10601.
  • A lawsuit up to $15,000: New Rochelle City Court, 475 North Avenue.
  • A lawsuit up to $25,000: Westchester County Court.
  • A larger lawsuit: Supreme Court, Westchester County.
  • A federal warranty claim of $50,000 or more: the Southern District of New York, which sits in White Plains.

Where a lawsuit belongs within those options depends on more than the amount, including where the car was bought and where the manufacturer does business. We confirm the right court from your facts before anything is filed.

Choosing between arbitration and court is a one-time decision, so make it knowing the trade-offs. Once you apply to the state program and pay the fee, the manufacturer cannot refuse to take part. The catch is that the award binds you as well, apart from the narrow 90-day court challenge. Our guide on how to file a lemon law claim covers the paperwork in order.

Arbitration or court? That is the first question we answer, and it costs you nothing.

  • Bring your repair orders with the drop-off and pick-up dates. They usually show which route your record supports.
  • Bring the delivery paperwork too. For a low-mileage car, the two-year date is often the one that matters.
  • If you bought the car outside New York, tell us where. That decides which state's law we start with.
  • You talk to the people who would handle your file, not a call center.
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A New Rochelle driver on the phone at home while a New York lemon law arbitration request is prepared and emailed for them
From Home

You can run most of a Westchester claim from your kitchen table

The request for arbitration is a form, and the Attorney General's office takes it by email. Repair orders go in as scans. The eligibility review happens without you. Section 300.7(e) of the program rules entitles you to eight days' notice of the hearing date, and the hearing is held where you asked for it. The arbitrator may examine the car or take it for a drive, so bring it if you can.

We collect the repair history, work out which route it supports, prepare the request and the exhibits, and attend the hearing with you or on your behalf. A phone or video call works from anywhere in Westchester, or you can meet us at our Manhasset office. Your part is the phone call that gets it started.

How It Works

How long does a lemon law claim take from New Rochelle?

Usually a few months, if you arbitrate. The slow part tends to come before filing: collecting a repair order from every visit, including the ones where the dealer said it found nothing. Once the fee is paid, the program rules run on a fixed clock. Here are the five stages as they play out for a driver in New Rochelle, from the first repair order to the day the manufacturer pays. For a document-by-document walkthrough, see our guide on how to file a lemon law claim.

  1. Day 0Your $250 fee reaches the program administrator. That day is the filing date
  2. Day 35Last day for the hearing, in Yonkers or wherever you chose on the form, unless both sides agree to a later date
  3. Day 40Last day for the arbitrator's written decision
  4. Day 70+Accept the award on Day 40 and the manufacturer's 30 days to comply end on Day 70. After that, $25 for each business day late, up to $500

Confirm New York Law Covers the Car

Before any form, three things need answers. Where did the purchase or lease happen, and where is the car registered now? Did it come to you new, or used from a dealer? And is most of its driving personal, family or household use? The first question matters most for anyone who bought across the Connecticut line. A new personal-use car falls under section 198-a. A used car from a dealer falls under section 198-b, which has its own thresholds. A car that mostly works for a business may need the federal route. We settle all three from your paperwork before any form is filled in.

Get a Printed Repair Order Every Visit

Each visit should produce a repair order that states your complaint in your own words, with the date you dropped the car off, the date you collected it and the mileage. You need one even when the shop says it found nothing. The four-repair route depends on the same defect being described consistently. The 30-day route depends on the dates, because it counts calendar days. If you use more than one dealer, collect the orders from both. They all count toward the total.

Tell the Manufacturer in Writing

When you report a defect, the dealer has seven days to send written notice to the manufacturer. You have no way of checking whether it did, so write to the manufacturer yourself. Use certified mail, return receipt requested. Sometimes that letter does more than give notice. Where the dealer has not started work seven days after you reported the problem, the manufacturer's 20 days to begin run from the day your certified letter reaches it. File the return receipt alongside your repair orders. Its date proves when that clock started.

File the Request and Choose Yonkers

You email or mail the request for arbitration to the Lemon Law Unit, whose postal address is 28 Liberty Street in Manhattan. Hold back the fee and your documents at this stage; the form tells you to. If the claim is accepted, it passes to the New York State Dispute Resolution Association, which then asks for the $250 fee and your documents. The day the fee arrives is the filing date. On the form you also pick a hearing location, with Yonkers as the Westchester option, and you choose between a refund and a replacement.

The Hearing, the Decision and the Payment

The hearing must be held within 35 days of the filing date, and you get at least eight days' notice. It is not a trial, and the formal rules of evidence do not apply. Under 13 NYCRR section 300.16(a), the arbitrator's written decision is due within 40 days of the filing date. If you win and accept, the manufacturer has 30 days to comply. After that, section 198-a(h) adds $25 for every business day it is late, up to $500. The award also returns your filing fee.

A claim can fall apart at any of those five steps. A repair order that reads "operating as designed." A letter that only went to the dealer. A car bought in Connecticut that nobody checked against the registration question. A two-year date that slipped past while the fault came and went.

Some drivers handle all of this themselves, and you are free to. No lawyer can tell you in advance how an arbitrator will rule. What a firm that does this work every day can do is keep the record clean, the notices correct and the dates protected.

Outcomes

What compensation can you receive?

You pick the remedy, and the dealer it goes back to

When a claim succeeds, section 198-a(c)(1) requires the manufacturer to either replace the car with a comparable one or take it back and refund you, "at the option of the consumer." You make that choice on the request form. A refund covers the full purchase or lease price, any trade-in allowance, and the fees and charges that came with the car, license and registration fees included.

You also decide where the car goes back. The same subsection lets you return it to the dealer that sold it or to the dealer that tried to fix it, with no further shipping charges. For a car bought on the Post Road and serviced near your office, either one will do.

The mileage deduction, with real numbers

The manufacturer may deduct for your use of the car, but only for miles above 12,000. Section 198-a(a)(4) sets the formula:

  1. Count the miles over 12,000. A car bought for $46,000 that now shows 14,800 miles is 2,800 miles over the line.
  2. Multiply those miles by the purchase price: 2,800 times $46,000.
  3. Divide by 100,000. The deduction comes to $1,288.

With 12,000 miles or fewer on the car, there is no deduction, and low-mileage commuter cars often never reach 12,000 miles within the window. The statute also permits a reasonable deduction for damage beyond normal wear. Photograph the car before the hearing, and keep receipts for any body work you have already paid for.

Sales tax, leases and used cars

Sales tax comes back through a separate application to the state, and the refund must arrive with the form for it. A leased car's refund is shared with the leasing company. The statute treats the lease as over on the day the arbitrator decides, and no penalty for ending it early can be charged. Used cars work differently: a section 198-b refund has no mileage formula, and our New York lemon law page explains that statute. Every case turns on its own facts, so no attorney can tell you in advance what a claim will be worth.

Possible Outcomes

Five things a successful New Rochelle claim can bring

  • Refund

    The purchase price, fees and charges, minus a mileage deduction that only starts above 12,000 miles, under section 198-a(c)(1) and (a)(4)

  • Replacement

    A comparable vehicle in place of the money, when that is what you choose on the form

  • A repair at no charge

    A defect you reported inside the window still has to be fixed free of charge, even if the repair is finished after the window ends

  • Late-payment penalty

    $25 for each business day the manufacturer runs past its 30 days, capped at $500, under section 198-a(h)

  • Attorney fees

    Payable by the manufacturer when a court orders it, under section 198-a(l) or federal warranty law

Every case turns on its own facts, so no attorney can tell you in advance what a New Rochelle claim will be worth.

Manufacturers We've Taken to Court

We Take On the
Biggest Names

Vehicles We Handle

Which vehicles the law covers in New Rochelle

New York's new car law applies to a vehicle sold with the manufacturer's written warranty, apart from off-road vehicles. Whatever the vehicle, it has to be used mainly for personal, family or household purposes. Where the state law does not reach, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act often does. Choose a category and you can see where it stands.

Cars, SUVs and Minivans

Most claims involve these, bought or leased new. Short hops to the station and school runs and cold starts after a day in a parking lot are all hard on batteries, start-stop systems and transmissions, and those faults often come back after a visit where the dealer found nothing. Leased cars count too, by the way. See our practice areas.

Work Vans and Diesel Pickups

A van or pickup used mostly for business can fail the personal-use test. A contractor's van that spends the week going between job sites along the Post Road is hard to fit in, but a pickup that's really the family vehicle isn't. And since diesel emissions faults can keep a truck off the road for weeks, these claims often rely on days out of service. See our diesel emissions lemon law guide.

Motorcycles

The Attorney General says new motorcycles have been covered since September 1, 2004. Off-road vehicles such as ATVs and snowmobiles are not. If you ride your bike up the Hutchinson River Parkway on weekends, that's a personal-use vehicle in the ordinary way. See our motorcycle lemon law guide.

RVs and Motor Homes

Motor homes are covered, but not their living quarters. The Attorney General lists flooring, plumbing, the roof air conditioner, the furnace, the generator and the house electrical system among the exclusions, and motor home owners must notify the manufacturer sooner than car owners do. See our RV and motorhome lemon law guide.

Electric Vehicles

An electric car gets exactly the protection a gas car does, and the complaints we see most with them involve the battery, charging, the drive unit and software. When a software update leaves the problem in place, it should still be recorded as a repair visit, with your complaint in your own words, and if you charge at home and the car won't take a charge, note the date and time each time it happens. See our electric vehicle lemon law guide.

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Client Stories

What Our Clients Say

Real results from real clients who trusted
RockPoint Law with their lemon law claims.

I contacted RockPoint Law in July 2025 and by mid Jan 2026, I had received my settlement proceeds. A mid 5-figure loan was paid off and the manufacturer took possession of the vehicle. Not having that car payment and the mandatory full coverage freed up about $900/month. If you're on the fence about calling RockPoint Law, let it go. The relief you will feel when it all works out will be soooo worth it.

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HJ
Henry Jose
Google Review

Was having nothing but issues with the DEF system in my Ram 3500. I didn't have high hopes because 3500 trucks are generally excluded from lemon law. The entire process from the time I contacted RockPoint Law to the time I received my settlement was under 6 months! Their response times were well above expectations.

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JR
Joe Russo
Google Review

My Telluride's transmission would jerk so hard between gears that my coffee would spill. Dealer had it four times. When I called RockPoint Law, they asked the exact technical question I'd been researching for weeks. We got a buyback with reimbursement for my deductible and rental costs. They speak fluent mechanic before they speak lawyer.

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K
Kirill
Google Review

Turbo failure on my EcoBoost F-150. Dealer replaced it once, then denied the second. Steven Nassi compared my case to known manufacturing defects for that engine. Other lawyers just saw 'engine trouble.' Steven built the argument around the known defect pattern. Secured a full refund.

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JR
Joshua Ragsdale
Google Review

Our minivan's sliding door would just stop working. Not a great feature with little kids. Tried to get it fixed under warranty three times. Final straw was when it almost closed on my son's arm. Leo was our attorney and got us a great outcome. They handled everything from start to finish.

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JG
Jorge Garcia
Google Review

My family's cross-country road trip turned into a nightmare when our brand-new SUV broke down in three different states. Each dealership kept giving us the run-around. RockPoint Law tracked every failed repair, hotel receipt, and even our unused theme park tickets. They got us a full buyback plus $8,200 for the vacation that fell apart.

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AG
Adam Gore
Google Review

The active suspension in my Ram 1500 started making a loud 'clunk' on every bump. Dealer replaced one part but the noise just moved to another corner. After the third repair, I was done. Natalie Nassi said, 'A repeated failure of a major chassis component is a clear impairment to value and use.' She didn't see a noise; she saw a failed system.

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PM
Piyawan Maprakhon
Google Review

My car is basically my mobile office. When the electrical system fried two laptops and killed my productivity, I reached out to RockPoint Law. Unlike the dealer who treated me as a nuisance, RockPoint Law saw how it impacted my ability to work. They secured a full refund on the vehicle plus $6,500 for lost income and equipment.

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SK
Sadie Kim
Google Review

The manufacturer told me I was out of luck. RockPoint Law told me otherwise — and proved it! Their lemon law experience turned my nightmare into a fair resolution. What impressed me most was their transparency — no false claims, just hard facts and harder work. Worth every penny and then some!

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KE
Kevin Eimuth
Google Review

From the moment I walked into their office shaking with frustration, the team at RockPoint Law put me at ease. They listened patiently to my whole story, then laid out a clear game plan. Six weeks later, I was holding a check that made all those repair shop trips worth it. True professionals who deliver!

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JB
Jatt James Bond
Google Review

We had two vans with the same transmission failure. RockPoint Law consolidated both claims, lined up build dates, and pushed for an extended coverage fix. Both vans were repaired, and we got downtime reimbursed.

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KS
Kishan Singh
Google Review

The hands-free liftgate on my SUV would randomly open in my garage, denting the door. I felt crazy complaining about a 'convenience feature.' Our attorney reframed it: 'An uncontrolled operation of a motorized component is a safety and property damage risk.' The team used my security camera footage as evidence. We got a solid settlement.

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PS
Peyman Soleimani
Google Review
Used Cars

Does the lemon law cover a used car bought in New Rochelle?

It can, under a different statute. A used car bought from a dealer is governed by General Business Law section 198-b, not section 198-a. One exception runs the other way: a car that changes hands while it is still inside its first 18,000 miles or two years is treated as new, and the rest of this page applies to it.

Section 198-b reaches a sale or lease by a dealer, which the Attorney General's summary defines as someone who has sold at least three cars in the last twelve months. The price has to be at least $1,500, the odometer can show no more than 100,000 miles at the sale, and the car has to be used mainly for personal purposes. A car bought from a neighbor or through a private listing is outside it.

The written warranty, by mileage at purchase

The dealer owes you a written warranty on covered parts, handed over before or when you sign. Its minimum length depends on the odometer reading on the day you bought the car, according to the Attorney General's Used Car Lemon Law guide:

Shortest used car warranty a New York dealer can give, ending at whichever limit comes first
Odometer at purchaseMinimum warranty
18,001 to 36,000 miles90 days or 4,000 miles
36,001 to 79,999 miles60 days or 3,000 miles
80,000 to 100,000 miles30 days or 1,000 miles

Covered parts are the engine, transmission, drive axle, brakes and steering, along with the radiator, alternator, generator, starter and ignition system. The battery, the body and the tires are among the parts the guide says are not covered.

When a used car qualifies for a refund

Three or more repair attempts on the same covered defect, or fifteen or more days out of service, may entitle you to a refund. Used car claims go to the same state arbitration program as new car claims, on a separate request form from the Attorney General. Used motorcycles are included. Motor homes, off-road vehicles and classic cars registered under section 401 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law are not.

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Why RockPoint

Why New Rochelle drivers choose RockPoint Law

The core of our practice is lemon law and consumer warranty claims, and we act for drivers across Westchester, so it makes no difference to how the claim runs whether you live near the water or at the north end of the city, because a New York claim is built from repair orders, a request form and a hearing at a place you choose, and it runs the same way for everybody.

Lemon Law Is Our Core Practice

This isn't a sideline for us that we do on top of a general practice. Defective vehicle claims are the core of the firm's practice, which is the reason we can read through a stack of repair orders quickly and accurately.

Just Across the Sound

The only New York office we have is at 1129 Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, in Nassau County. It's 9.8 miles from New Rochelle in a straight line over Long Island Sound and about 18 miles by road, going down I-95 and across the Throgs Neck Bridge, and most of our Westchester clients never need to visit it.

We Know the Westchester Route

We know which hearing site to request and how to answer the registration question when the car was bought in Connecticut, and we know which county an award challenge must go to and when a claim is large enough for Supreme Court or for the federal court in White Plains. We handle every step of that.

Straight Answers

You deal directly with the people who are working on your file, and we tell you what comes next and about when it's going to happen, and that includes the weeks where we're simply waiting on the manufacturer.

No Upfront Legal Fees

We take these cases on contingency, and if we recover nothing for you, you owe us no fee. The $250 arbitration fee gets paid to the state program and not to us, and if you win you get it back.

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Our Story

Meet the Firm Behind Your Claim

The same attorneys who handle claims nationwide handle them here. Two minutes on who we are and how we work.

Side-by-Side

Do I need a lemon law attorney in New Rochelle?

This shows a New Rochelle claim two ways, once handled alone and once with an attorney, and you can flip the switch to see the same four moments from each side.

Vehicle repair invoices spread across a kitchen table with a hand hovering over them
On your own1 / 4

Filing the defect with the wrong state office

Because the Attorney General's regional office in White Plains is closer than Liberty Street, it feels like the natural place to go. It does take consumer fraud complaints, but it doesn't run lemon law arbitration, so a defect claim filed there can sit for weeks while the four years from delivery keep counting.

A person on the phone at a home desk with a notepad of call notes
On your own2 / 4

Suing for a buyback in City Court

New Rochelle City Court is on North Avenue, and it feels approachable enough, but its civil limit is $15,000 and a claim for the price of a recent car is a lot larger than that. Filing in the wrong court, or cutting the claim down so it fits, can cost you most of what the law allows.

A wall calendar with deadline dates circled in red beside a set of car keys
On your own3 / 4

Watching the odometer instead of the calendar

Say an owner has 8,000 miles on the clock and thinks there's plenty of time left. The protection period ends at 18,000 miles or two years, whichever comes first, and for a station car it's usually the two-year date. A fault first reported after it has passed falls outside the window.

One person alone at the end of a long empty hearing room table
On your own4 / 4

Letting the 90 days pass after a bad award

An award binds both sides. The only way back is a court application under CPLR Article 75, made within 90 days after the award is delivered, in the county where you live or where the hearing was held, and on narrow grounds. People who wait to see whether the manufacturer will reconsider can use up the time doing it.

Hands working through an organized stack of repair orders with a highlighter and index tabs
With RockPoint Law1 / 4

The request sent straight to the Lemon Law Unit

The defect claim goes to the Lemon Law Arbitration Unit on the state's own form, and if a dealer also misled you about the sale, that complaint gets sent to the regional office separately so that neither one holds up the other.

A certified mail envelope and return receipt card being prepared on a desk
With RockPoint Law2 / 4

The forum matched to the size of the claim

We look at arbitration, at Supreme Court in Westchester and, for claims of $50,000 or more, at the federal court in White Plains, and we compare them, so when you choose, you know what each one can award and what it gives up.

An open case planner with color-coded deadline tabs being marked
With RockPoint Law3 / 4

Every date checked against the delivery record

We work out your two-year date from the delivery paperwork on the first call and set it beside the date of the first complaint, and then we tell you plainly how much time is left.

A bound exhibit folder open on a conference table
With RockPoint Law4 / 4

A Westchester petition, well inside the 90 days

We read the award on the day it arrives and decide quickly whether it can be challenged, and if it can, we file in Westchester County, as section 198-a(k) requires, with time to spare.

Serving New Rochelle and Southern Westchester

On the ground in New Rochelle

A Westchester city on the Sound

New Rochelle had an estimated 85,864 residents on July 1, 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, on about 10.3 square miles of land along Long Island Sound. It sits in Westchester County, and the county is what matters for a lemon law claim: the county courthouse in White Plains is where an award challenge would normally go, the federal court for Westchester sits in the same city, and New Rochelle City Court on North Avenue hears the smaller civil cases.

The roads in your repair orders

I-95, the New England Thruway, crosses the city on its way to Connecticut. The Hutchinson River Parkway cuts across the northern half of the city. US-1 passes through as Huguenot Street, Main Street and then Boston Post Road, and East Main Street is where several of the city's franchised dealers and their service departments are. North Avenue, where City Court sits, runs north and south through the middle of the city. Much of the driving is short and stop-start, which is where hesitant transmissions, start-stop faults and weak batteries tend to show up.

The station car problem

New Rochelle is a stop on Metro-North's New Haven Line. In the current MTA timetable the median train takes about 38 minutes into Grand Central and about 33 minutes back. A car used only for the trip to the station is driven a mile or two and then left in a lot all day. It piles up time faster than miles, and New York's coverage window closes at 18,000 miles or two years, whichever comes first. If that describes your car, the delivery date on your paperwork matters more than the mileage.

Short trips cause their own problems. An engine that never fully warms up, a battery that never fully recharges, and electronics that fault after a cold soak are all common complaints, and all of them can be hard for a dealer to reproduce in the middle of the day. Report the fault as soon as it starts, describe exactly when it happens, and make sure every visit produces a repair order, even the ones that end with "could not duplicate."

Commuter cars: what to keep before we talk

For a low-mileage car the fight is about dates, so keep the papers that prove them: the delivery receipt or the date on the buyer's order, every repair order with its drop-off and pick-up dates, and any email or text in which the dealer confirmed an appointment you could not get sooner. If a fault only shows up on a cold morning or after the car has sat all day, write down when it happens. Phone video of the warning light or the noise, with the date visible, helps more than you might expect.

Keep one folder for everything, including visits where the shop said it found nothing. A "no problem found" order still records that you reported the fault, and when.

Bought the car in Connecticut?

A lot of New Rochelle drivers shop across the state line, and if you're one of them, it helps that New York's statute has two ways in. Under section 198-a(a)(2), a covered vehicle is one bought, leased or transferred in New York within the first 18,000 miles or two years, or one that is registered here. So a car bought in Connecticut and registered at a New Rochelle address can fit the definition.

There's a wrinkle, though. Subdivision (b)(1) describes a new car "sold and registered in this state," and the Attorney General's request form asks both questions, one after the other. Connecticut runs its own lemon law, and a car sold there might qualify under that one too, which is what our Connecticut lemon law page walks through, and if both states' laws fit, we weigh them against each other before anything else.

Buying in Connecticut, the Bronx or up-county

If you bought the car anywhere in New York State, whether that was in the Bronx, in White Plains or right on Main Street, it's a New York sale and nothing about the claim changes. A car bought in Connecticut and registered in New Rochelle needs a closer look, because the statute speaks both of vehicles registered here and of vehicles "sold and registered in this state."

Connecticut has a lemon law of its own, and our Connecticut lemon law page covers it, and for a claim that could run under either state's law, we compare the two before we choose where to file.

We take claims from New Rochelle itself and from the towns around it, including:

  • New Rochelle
  • Larchmont
  • Mamaroneck
  • Pelham
  • Pelham Manor
  • Scarsdale
  • Tuckahoe
  • Mount Vernon
  • White Plains
  • Harrison
  • Rye
  • Port Chester

How to reach us

RockPoint Law has one New York office, at 1129 Northern Blvd., Suite 404, Manhasset, NY 11030, in Nassau County, and there's no RockPoint office in New Rochelle or anywhere else in Westchester. Most clients here never need to visit, though, since the request goes to the Attorney General by email and repair orders go as scans, and the hearing is at the location you choose. If you do want to come in, Manhasset is 9.8 miles from New Rochelle in a straight line and about 18 miles by road, down I-95 and over the Throgs Neck Bridge. To get started, send the online intake form. We review every request and get back to you as soon as we can, or you can phone (516) 550-3323.

If you're after the statute itself, it's explained on our New York lemon law page, and drivers in the five boroughs have their own New York City page.

Other New York pages

Case Results

Recent RockPoint Law recoveries

These figures come from our firm's published lemon law settlement record across brands. They are firmwide results, not New Rochelle outcomes, and they show what a well-documented defect claim can be worth when it's handled properly.

$160,264 BMW X6

Recovery on a vehicle plagued by engine, electrical, and suspension defects.

$144,550 Porsche Macan

Refund for a Macan with recurring suspension, drivetrain, electrical, and HVAC problems.

$110,289 Rivian R1T

Recovery after repeated electrical, drive-unit, and suspension failures on an electric pickup.

Figures are drawn from our firm's published settlement record and are not specific to New Rochelle or Westchester matters. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. See more RockPoint Law settlements 

RockPoint Law, by the numbers

$50M+**
Recovered for clients
3,000+‡
Cases handled
25+
Years of combined experience
97%*
Resolution rate
  • Free Consultation
  • No attorney's fees unless we recover for you.†
Recent Google reviewsAcross all RockPoint offices: 4.8 from 19 Google reviews
  • ★★★★★a month ago
    I had a really good experience with RockPoint Law. The whole process was a lot easier than I expected and everyone I dealt with was helpful and responsive. Whenever I had a question, I was able to get an answer without feeling like I was chasing anyone down. They handled everything and kept me updated along the way. Definitely glad I reached out to them.
    Ronen S. Malekmehr
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law and wasn't sure. Called anyway because I was at my wit's end. Natalie Nassi answered and she remembered me from somewhere else. Same calm voice, same no-nonsense approach. She took my case and handled everything. Manufacturer bought the car back. Name on the door changed but Natalie didn't. That's what matters to me.
    Tanja Moldenhauer
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law online and wasn't sure because I hadn't heard of them. But I was desperate. My car had been in and out of the shop for months. Called them up and the person I spoke with was so easy to talk to. No legal mumbo jumbo, just straight talk. They took my case and got me a buyback. New name but they know what they're doing. Would recommend.
    Rodolfo Paulino
2 more Google reviews
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Honestly wasn't sure about RockPoint Law since I hadn't heard of them before. But I was desperate. My car had been in the shop five times for the same problem and nobody could figure it out. Service advisor started avoiding my calls. I found RockPoint online, called, and the person I talked to was really down to earth. They took my repair orders and handled the whole thing. A few months later, the manufacturer bought the car back. New name but they got it done. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
    Om Shiv
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law pop up when I was googling lemon law help. Wasn't sure about the name but figured I'd give it a shot. My Jeep Gladiator had a death wobble at highway speeds—front end would shake violently. Dealer replaced the steering stabilizer twice, still shook. The person I talked to at RockPoint was super calm and explained everything clearly. They handled the claim and Jeep bought the truck back. Glad I didn't let the new name scare me off. They got the job done.
    Víctor Torres

About this page

Written by the RockPoint Law Editorial Team · Reviewed by Steven P. Nassi, New York Attorney Registration No. 4263489 (NY Courts registration record). Prepared September 2026 to reflect New York General Business Law section 198-a (new vehicles) and section 198-b (used vehicles), with arbitration under 13 NYCRR Part 300 supervised by the New York State Attorney General. See our editorial policy.

You can check any New York attorney's registration and public discipline record in the Unified Court System's attorney directory. Searching by registration number works better than searching by name. We encourage you to do that for any firm you are considering, including ours.

Start here

Tell us what the car is doing in New Rochelle

Three details about the vehicle, and how to reach you.

  • The year and make of your vehicle
  • What the dealer has already tried, and whether you paid for it
  • Your name, phone and email. We review every request and respond as soon as we can

No cost, no obligation. Contacting RockPoint Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Check my case Start My Free Case Review Or call (516) 550-3323
Our Team

Meet the Team
Behind RockPoint Law

A dedicated team that stands with you through every step of your Lemon Law claim.

Steven Nassi
Steven Nassi
Managing Partner
Founder · 25+ years of litigation experience
★ Founder & Managing Partner
Natalie Nassi
Natalie Nassi
Managing Partner
Columbia University · 20+ years in consumer advocacy
Ron Kaniuk
Ron Kaniuk
Florida Managing Partner
St. John's University School of Law · Consumer protection & lemon law
Aaron Waldo
Aaron Waldo
Attorney
U.S. Marine Corps veteran · Automotive background
Liam Jones
Liam Jones
Attorney
Licensed in New York & New Jersey
Christian Garcia
Christian Garcia
Senior Case Manager
Case management from intake through resolution
Rudy Gutierrez
Rudy Gutierrez
Intake Manager
First point of contact for new clients & case evaluations
FAQ

New Rochelle lemon law questions

The questions Westchester drivers ask us most often, answered before you send anything.

Is there a New Rochelle or Westchester County lemon law?

No. New Rochelle drivers rely on the state's lemon laws, section 198-a for new cars and section 198-b for used cars from a dealer. What Westchester changes is where things happen: the hearing site, the courthouse and the federal court.

No. New Rochelle drivers are protected by the state's lemon laws: General Business Law section 198-a for new cars and section 198-b for used cars bought from a dealer. Neither the city nor Westchester County has a statute of its own, so the tests are the same on North Avenue as they are in Buffalo. What the county changes is geography. The Attorney General's request form lists a hearing site in Yonkers. A court challenge to an award would normally be filed at the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains, and the federal court for Westchester sits in White Plains as well. The Attorney General also keeps a Westchester Regional Office there, although lemon law requests go to the Lemon Law Unit in Manhattan.

Where would my arbitration hearing be held if I live in New Rochelle?

Most likely in Westchester. Yonkers is the Westchester entry among the 30 hearing locations on the request form, and the hearing has to be set within 35 days of the filing date, with at least eight days' notice.

Most likely in Westchester. Question 22 on the Attorney General's new car request form asks you to pick a hearing location from a list of 30, and Yonkers is the Westchester entry on it. The Bronx, Manhattan and Queens are on the same list, and so is Carmel in Putnam County. The rule behind the list, 13 NYCRR section 300.7(g), names Westchester as one of the areas where regular hearing sites must be kept. The hearing has to be set within 35 days of the filing date, you get at least eight days' notice, and evening or weekend times are allowed. You can ask for a virtual hearing if you cannot attend in person, though the manufacturer may object. The arbitrator is also allowed to inspect or drive the car.

Which court hears a lemon law case from New Rochelle?

It depends on the route and the amount. An award challenge goes to Westchester County in White Plains, City Court stops at $15,000 and County Court at $25,000, and federal court needs $50,000 or more in controversy.

That turns on the route and the amount. In arbitration, a court only steps in to confirm, vacate or modify the award, and section 198-a(k) sends that proceeding to the county where you live or where the hearing was held. For a New Rochelle driver heard in Yonkers, both answers are Westchester County, with its Supreme and County Courts at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains. Sue instead, and New Rochelle City Court caps civil claims at $15,000 and County Court at $25,000, which is why a claim for the whole purchase price generally ends up in Supreme Court. Federal court is open to a warranty claim only once $50,000 or more is at stake, and for Westchester that means the Southern District of New York, sitting in White Plains.

How long do I have to challenge an arbitration award, and where?

You have 90 days after the award is delivered, under CPLR 7511(a). Section 198-a(k) puts the case in the county where you live or where the hearing was held, which for most New Rochelle drivers means White Plains.

Ninety days. The arbitrator's decision binds both sides, and the only way back is a court application under Article 75 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules. CPLR 7511(a) gives either party ninety days after the award is delivered to apply to vacate or modify it. Section 198-a(k) then fixes the place: only the county where you live or where the arbitration was held. For most New Rochelle drivers that means the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains, not a court the manufacturer chooses. The grounds are narrow. They include corruption, fraud or misconduct, a partial arbitrator, an arbitrator who went beyond their power, and a failure to follow the required procedure. A disappointing award is not always one a court will set aside, so read it the day it arrives.

Should I take my lemon law complaint to the Attorney General's office in White Plains?

Not to start the claim. The White Plains regional office takes consumer fraud complaints, while lemon law requests go to the Lemon Law Arbitration Unit at 28 Liberty Street in Manhattan.

Not to start the claim. The Attorney General's Westchester Regional Office at 44 South Broadway in White Plains serves Westchester, Putnam and Rockland Counties and takes consumer fraud complaints. That can help if a dealer misled you about a sale price or a fee. A request for lemon law arbitration goes somewhere else: to the Lemon Law Arbitration Unit at 28 Liberty Street in Manhattan, or by email to the address printed on the form. That unit checks eligibility and passes accepted claims to the New York State Dispute Resolution Association, which collects the $250 fee and schedules the hearing. A defect claim sent to the wrong office loses time, and the four years from delivery that section 198-a(j) allows keep counting while it sits there.

I bought the car in Connecticut but registered it in New Rochelle. Does New York law apply?

Possibly. Section 198-a(a)(2) covers a car registered in New York, but subdivision (b)(1) speaks of a car sold and registered here, and Connecticut has its own lemon law. We compare both before anything is filed.

Possibly, and it deserves a careful read. Section 198-a(a)(2) covers a vehicle that came with the manufacturer's written warranty and either was bought, leased or transferred in New York within the first 18,000 miles or two years, or is registered in New York. That second route matters for a car bought across the state line and registered at a New Rochelle address. Subdivision (b)(1), though, speaks of a new car "sold and registered in this state," and the request form asks both questions, at numbers 6 and 7. Connecticut's lemon law is separate, and a car sold there might qualify under it instead; our Connecticut lemon law page explains how. If both laws fit your facts, we weigh one against the other before a form goes in.

My car mostly sits at the train station. Which limit runs out first?

Usually the calendar. A car that mostly waits at the station can reach two years well before 18,000 miles, so the delivery date is what closes the window.

Usually the calendar. The protection period in section 198-a(b)(1) is the first 18,000 miles or two years from original delivery, whichever comes first. A car that makes the short trip to the New Rochelle station on weekdays and then waits in a lot all day can reach its second anniversary with far fewer than 18,000 miles, so the date is what closes the window. A defect you report inside the period still has to be repaired free of charge, even if the repair is finished after it ends. Separately, section 198-a(j) gives you four years from delivery to bring an action. Write down the date of your first complaint, keep the delivery paperwork where you can find it, and do not wait to see whether a fault clears up by itself.

How long does a lemon law claim take for a New Rochelle driver?

Usually a few months in arbitration. Once the fee arrives, the hearing must be held within 35 days and the written decision issued within 40 days of the filing date. A lawsuit in Supreme Court takes longer.

Usually a few months, if you arbitrate. The Attorney General reviews your request first. After that, the program administrator asks for the $250 fee, and under 13 NYCRR section 300.5 the day the fee arrives is the filing date. Section 300.7 requires the hearing within 35 days of that date, with at least eight days' notice, and section 300.16(a) requires the arbitrator's written decision within 40 days of the filing date. Once you accept an award, the manufacturer has 30 days to comply, and section 198-a(h) then adds $25 for each business day of delay, up to $500. The slow part is usually the work before filing: collecting a repair order from every visit, including the ones where the dealer said it found nothing. A lawsuit in Supreme Court takes considerably longer.

What does it cost to bring a lemon law claim from Westchester?

The state program charges a $250 filing fee, which is awarded back if you win. Our fees are separate and contingent: no upfront legal fees and no fee unless we recover for you.

The state program charges a $250 filing fee for a new car. You pay it to the program administrator after the Attorney General accepts your request, not with the form, and under 13 NYCRR section 300.16(c) a decision in your favor awards the fee back to you. Our own fees are separate. We work on a contingency basis, with no upfront legal fees and no fee unless we recover for you, and the first conversation costs nothing. If a case goes to court, section 198-a(l) lets a judge award reasonable attorney's fees to a consumer who prevails, including in a proceeding that grows out of the arbitration. The federal Magnuson-Moss Act allows costs and fees to a consumer who finally prevails. In both cases the court decides whether to award them and how much.

Do I have to come to your Manhasset office?

No. Our only New York office is in Manhasset, and most Westchester clients never visit. The request is emailed, repair orders go as scans, and we can meet by phone or video.

No. RockPoint Law's one New York office is in Manhasset, Nassau County, at 1129 Northern Blvd., Suite 404. There is no New Rochelle office. Most Westchester clients never make the trip. The request for arbitration can be emailed to the Attorney General, repair orders travel as scans, and the hearing takes place at the location you choose on the form. If you would rather meet in person, the office is 9.8 miles from New Rochelle in a straight line across Long Island Sound and about 18 miles by road, down I-95 and over the Throgs Neck Bridge. Call (516) 550-3323 or use the online form, and we can set up a phone call, a video meeting or a visit around your working day.

If I win, can I return the car to the dealer where I bought it?

Yes. Section 198-a(c)(1) lets you return the car to the dealer that sold it or the one that tried to repair it, with no further shipping charges.

Yes, if that is what you prefer. Section 198-a(c)(1) lets a consumer who wins a refund or replacement return the car either to the dealer that sold it or to the dealer that tried to repair it, and the return cannot carry any further shipping charges. A car bought on the Post Road but serviced somewhere else can go back to either one. The refund covers the full purchase price or lease price, any trade-in allowance, and fees and charges such as license and registration fees. The manufacturer may deduct for mileage above 12,000 and take a reasonable allowance for damage beyond normal wear. If you financed the car, the refund is divided between you and the lender according to the ownership records, and the lender applies its share to what you still owe.

What happens to the sales tax I paid on the car?

It comes back through a separate application. The manufacturer's refund must include the state form, AU-11, and you have three years from receiving the refund to apply.

You get it back through a separate application. Section 198-a(c)(2) requires the manufacturer's refund to come with the state form for a sales tax refund and a notice that the tax can be refunded under section 1139(f) of the Tax Law. The Attorney General's guide names the form, AU-11, and says it goes to the Department of Taxation and Finance, which works out the amount. You have three years from the date you receive the manufacturer's refund to apply. The application covers both the state and the local share of the tax. Keep the purchase contract that shows the tax, the refund paperwork and the date the money arrived, and send the application soon rather than late in the three years.

Don't take on the manufacturer alone.

Tell us the vehicle and what the dealer has already tried. No fee unless we recover for you.†

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