THE LEMON REPORT

Free tools & resources

Everything you need, from the source

Here you will find a number of free tools to help you in your vehicle research and ownership experience — plus the federal, state and independent resources behind them. Nothing here costs anything and none of it requires an account.

Filter the resource directory
36 links across 6 sections. All checked August 2026.

The four Lemon Report tools

TOOL 1
VEHICLE RECALL AND PROBLEM FINDER
Open recalls, owner complaints and 5-year running costs across 2,776 model years.
OPEN THE TOOL →
TOOL 2
VEHICLE VALUE CALCULATOR
What the vehicle is worth now, adjusted for mileage, condition, options and your market.
OPEN THE TOOL →
TOOL 3
VEHICLE DEPRECIATION CALCULATOR
What it will be worth later, year by year, and what that loss actually costs you.
OPEN THE TOOL →
TOOL 4
COST OF REPAIRS CALCULATOR
Likely repair and maintenance spend ahead, priced for your shop rate and region.
OPEN THE TOOL →

Every one of the four includes the Extended Warranty Evaluator and the free coverage-assistance request, so you can go from a number to a decision without leaving the tool.

Start here

If you only do three things, do these. All free.

Check for recalls by VIN — NHTSAFree
The definitive lookup. Enter your 17-character VIN or license plate and see unrepaired open recalls on your specific vehicle. Also searches car seats, tires and equipment. Recall repairs are free, with no time limit on most safety recalls.
www.nhtsa.gov
Report a vehicle safety problem — NHTSAFree
File a defect complaint. This is the raw material NHTSA uses to open investigations, so a complaint is not a formality — complaint volume is what forces recalls.
www.nhtsa.gov
Find your state's consumer protection office — USAGovFree
Lemon law is state law. This directory routes you to the office that actually administers it where you live.
www.usa.gov

Safety, ratings and recalls

Federal safety data, all of it public and free.

Car safety ratings — NHTSA 5-StarFree
Crash test and rollover ratings for vehicles, plus car seat and tire ratings.
www.nhtsa.gov
Compare vehicles side by side — NHTSAFree
Direct comparison tool for safety ratings across vehicles you're shopping.
www.nhtsa.gov
Car seats and booster seats — NHTSAFree
Car Seat Finder, installation guidance, inspection station locator, and seat registration and recall lookup. Note: the older /car-seats-and-booster-seats URL is dead; this is the live path.
www.nhtsa.gov
EV Battery Safety Initiative — NHTSAFree
NHTSA's program on electric vehicle battery incidents, including crash and non-crash fires and the standards work behind them.
www.nhtsa.gov

State lemon laws

Lemon law is written state by state. These are the primary sources, not summaries of summaries.

Lemon Laws: state-by-state guide — Center for Auto SafetyFree
The best free overview of all 50 states. Individual state pages follow the pattern autosafety.org/lemon-laws/<state>/. One caveat: the California entry predates the 2024 Rodriguez decision and is out of date on used vehicles.
www.autosafety.org
Lemon law rankings, explained — Center for Auto SafetyFree
Which state laws are strong and which are hollow, with the reasoning. New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and Hawaii rate best; South Dakota, Colorado and Illinois worst.
www.autosafety.org
State attorneys general directory — USAGovFree
Your AG's office enforces consumer protection law and, in several states, runs the lemon law arbitration program directly.
www.usa.gov
File a consumer complaint — National Association of Attorneys GeneralFree
Routes your complaint to the right state office.
www.naag.org
California: New Lemon Law Procedures — Dept. of Consumer AffairsFree
The official explainer on AB 1755 and SB 26, including what changed and when.
www.dca.ca.gov
California: which manufacturers opted in — DCAFree
Under SB 26 the new procedures are elective. Check your manufacturer here before doing anything else — your deadlines depend on it.
www.dca.ca.gov
California: Arbitration Certification ProgramFree
Certifies and monitors manufacturer arbitration programs in California. Free to consumers.
www.dca.ca.gov
Texas Lemon Law — TxDMVFree
Four repair attempts, two for a serious safety hazard, 30 days out of service. $35 filing fee. Six-month deadline that is easy to miss.
www.txdmv.gov
Texas: Consumer Protection — Office of the Attorney GeneralFree
Complaint intake and enforcement for dealer practices.
www.texasattorneygeneral.gov
New York: Lemon Law Program — NY Attorney GeneralFree
One of only two states with a genuine used-car lemon law alongside its new-car law.
ag.ny.gov
New York: Used Car Lemon Law fact sheetFree
The rare state document that protects used-car buyers by statute. Read this before buying used in New York.
ag.ny.gov
New York: New Car Lemon Law fact sheetFree
Thresholds, arbitration and remedies for new vehicles.
ag.ny.gov
Florida Lemon Law — My Florida LegalFree
Governed by Chapter 681, Florida Statutes. Lemon Law Hotline: 1-800-321-5366.
www.myfloridalegal.com
Florida: New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board hearingsFree
How Florida cases are actually decided — by three-member arbitration panels.
www.myfloridalegal.com
Florida: lemon law formsFree
The paperwork, direct from the state.
www.myfloridalegal.com
Georgia Lemon Law process — GA Attorney GeneralFree
Unusually clear on thresholds: three repair attempts, one for a life-threatening defect, 30 cumulative days out of service including weekends.
consumer.georgia.gov
California Civil Code § 1793.2Free
The core Song-Beverly repair-or-replace obligation, in the statute's own words.
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

Before you buy: history and VIN checks

Nothing here replaces a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic you chose.

VINCheck — National Insurance Crime BureauFree
Free theft and salvage check, limited to five lookups per 24 hours. Covers reports from participating NICB member insurers only. NICB itself says this is not a comprehensive vehicle history report — treat it as a screen, not a clearance.
www.nicb.org
NMVTIS — National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
The federal title and brand database, run by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. This is the authoritative source for salvage, junk and flood title brands.
vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov
NMVTIS approved data providers
Where to actually buy an NMVTIS report. Providers set their own pricing; reports are inexpensive relative to commercial history reports.
vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov
Understanding an NMVTIS vehicle history reportFree
How to read what you get back, and what the brands mean.
vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov
NMVTIS for consumers — AAMVAFree
Plain-English overview from the association of motor vehicle administrators.
www.aamva.org
FTC warning letters libraryFree
Check the dealer, not just the car. Searchable federal archive that includes the March 2026 letters to 97 auto dealership groups over deceptive pricing — advertised prices excluding mandatory fees, undisclosed down payments, required add-ons. Worth a search on any dealership before you walk in.
www.ftc.gov

Running costs

What the vehicle costs after the sale.

fueleconomy.govFree
Official EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data, run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Fuel cost estimates, side-by-side comparisons and model year archives going back decades.
www.fueleconomy.gov
Top Ten most efficient vehicles — fueleconomy.govFree
Current model year rankings by class, including EVs.
www.fueleconomy.gov
EV maintenance and safety — DOE Alternative Fuels Data CenterFree
Federal guidance on electric vehicle servicing, battery life and what routine maintenance an EV does and doesn't need.
afdc.energy.gov

Advocacy and independent testing

Organizations that fight this fight full time.

The Center for Auto SafetyFree
Independent nonprofit founded to push NHTSA and manufacturers on defects. The best free source for lemon law comparison and defect campaigns.
www.autosafety.org
Consumer Reports — Cars
Reliability data, road tests and buying guides. Recall and news coverage is free; detailed ratings and pricing tools require membership.
www.consumerreports.org
Consumer Federation of America — issue areasFree
Policy advocacy across consumer markets. Auto sales and service falls under Competition and Market Fairness.
consumerfed.org
Two warnings about links you'll find elsewhere