Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: Coverage, Prohibitions, and Enforcement

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the 1975 federal law that governs written warranties on consumer products. It does not require any company to offer a warranty, but when a company chooses to offer one, the Act sets rules for how the warranty must be labeled, what it must disclose, what practices are forbidden, and how you can enforce your rights in court.¹ The result is a floor of federal protection that sits on top of your state-law rights whenever you buy a warranted product.

What the Act Covers

The Act reaches “consumer products,” meaning tangible personal property normally used for personal, family, or household purposes.² Appliances, electronics, furniture, and passenger vehicles all qualify. Products bought strictly for commercial or industrial use, or purchased for resale, do not.

One point that catches people off guard: the definition includes items intended to be attached to or installed in real property, whether or not they have actually been installed.² Your HVAC system, water heater, and garage door opener stay consumer products under this law even after a contractor bolts them to the house. A manufacturer cannot escape warranty obligations by arguing the product became part of the building.

A boundary worth keeping in mind: the Act does not force any business to provide a written warranty. A company can sell a product with none at all, and the Act has nothing to say about it.¹ The rules below apply only once a written warranty exists.

Full Warranty vs. Limited Warranty

When a company provides a written warranty on a consumer product, federal law requires it to label the warranty as either “full” or “limited.”³ The label is not marketing. Each carries a specific legal meaning.

To qualify as a full warranty, the warrantor must meet all of these federal minimum standards:⁴

Repair any defect or malfunction within a reasonable time and at no cost to you, including parts, labor, and shipping.
No limits on the duration of implied warranties.
If the product still has problems after a reasonable number of repair attempts, you choose between a full refund and a free replacement.
No unreasonable duties imposed on you as a condition of getting service, though the company can require notice of the problem and access to the product.

A written warranty that falls short on even one of those points must be labeled “limited.”³ A limited warranty can restrict remedies, require you to pay shipping, cover only certain parts, or cap the duration of implied protections. Most warranties you’ll encounter are limited, and that’s permitted as long as the label is honest.

As for what “a reasonable number of attempts” means, the Act gives the FTC authority to define it for different products and defects, but the FTC has never issued such a rule.⁴ The question is decided case by case, which makes documenting every repair attempt essential.

What a Written Warranty Must Tell You

Federal regulations require any written warranty on a product costing more than $15 to include specific information in a single, clearly written document.⁵ That $15 threshold, set in 1975, has never been adjusted, so it captures nearly every warranted product sold today. The disclosures include:

The warrantor’s name and mailing address, or the department responsible for warranty claims.
A clear description of what parts, components, or characteristics are covered, and any exclusions.
How long the warranty lasts.
Step-by-step instructions for getting service, including who to contact and where to send the product.
The legal remedies available to you, including any informal dispute resolution process the warrantor requires before a lawsuit.

You Can Read the Warranty Before You Buy

A separate set of rules requires sellers to make warranty terms available before you buy, not just after. For products over $15, online and catalog retailers must either display the full warranty text alongside the product description or provide the warrantor’s web address where you can read the terms, plus a way to request a free copy.⁶ In physical stores, the warranty must be available for review at the point of sale.

Practices the Act Prohibits

Tie-In Sales

Warrantors cannot condition warranty coverage on your use of a specific brand of replacement part or a particular repair service.⁷ If a printer manufacturer says the warranty is void because you used a third-party ink cartridge, or a dealer claims independent oil changes voided your powertrain warranty, that’s exactly the kind of tie-in the law forbids. You’re free to use any qualified repair shop and compatible parts.

The narrow exception: a warrantor can require a specific product or service if it’s provided free under the warranty, or if the FTC grants a waiver after finding the product won’t function properly without it and the waiver serves the public interest.⁷ These waivers are rare.

Registration Card Traps

Many products ship with a warranty registration card, and plenty of buyers assume they have to return it to activate coverage. Federal regulations address this directly: if returning the card is genuinely required as a condition of coverage, the warranty document must say so explicitly.⁸ And if a card looks required but isn’t, the warranty must disclose that too. Most registration cards feed the manufacturer’s marketing database rather than serving as an actual warranty requirement, and losing one does not forfeit your rights.

“As Is” Sales When a Written Warranty Exists

Any company that offers a written warranty or sells a service contract is barred from disclaiming or eliminating the implied warranties that arise automatically under state law.⁹ The “as is” label functions as a disclaimer of implied warranties, so if you see an “as is” tag on the same product as a written warranty, the “as is” designation has no legal force.

Implied Warranty Protections

Implied warranties exist under state law, primarily the Uniform Commercial Code, and provide a baseline promise that a product works for its ordinary purpose. You don’t get a separate document for them; they arise automatically from the sale. The Act layers federal protection on top of these state rights.

The core rule is the anti-disclaimer provision described above. Without it, a manufacturer could hand you a written warranty covering one narrow component while stripping away all implied protections, leaving you worse off than if you’d gotten no warranty at all. The Act blocks that maneuver.

A company offering a limited warranty can restrict the duration of implied warranties to match the length of the written warranty, as long as the limitation is reasonable, clearly stated, and prominently displayed.⁹ Under a full warranty, that duration cap is not allowed, so implied warranty rights run their full course under state law, typically one to four years depending on the state. Any disclaimer that violates these rules is unenforceable.

Service Contracts Are a Separate Category

An extended warranty you buy separately is technically a “service contract” under federal law, not a warranty.¹⁰ A warranty is included in the price of the product; a service contract is a separate purchase. Companies can offer service contracts in addition to or instead of a written warranty.¹¹

Service contracts still have to meet disclosure standards. The terms must be written clearly and conspicuously in plain language.¹¹ And if a seller enters into a service contract with you within 90 days of the sale, the implied-warranty protections kick in the same way they would with a written warranty.⁹ A seller can’t disclaim implied warranties by calling the coverage a “service contract” instead of a “warranty.”

Enforcing Your Rights

The Act provides a structured path from informal resolution to court.

Informal Dispute Settlement First

Congress encouraged warrantors to establish informal dispute resolution procedures, and the FTC sets minimum standards for these programs, including participation by independent or governmental entities.¹² If a warranty requires you to use one before suing, you generally must go through it first. The decision isn’t binding on you, and if you’re unsatisfied, you can still file a lawsuit. Any decision from the process is admissible as evidence if the case goes to court.

Filing a Lawsuit

You can sue in any state court or, under limited conditions, in federal court. Federal court has two significant gatekeepers: the amount in controversy must be at least $50,000 excluding interest and costs, and a class action requires at least 100 named plaintiffs.¹² For most individual claims on a single product, state court is the realistic venue.

The provision that makes these cases viable is the fee-shifting rule. If you win, the court can award the costs of bringing the suit, including filing fees, witness fees, and attorney fees based on actual time spent.¹² Without this mechanism, suing over a $400 appliance would rarely make economic sense. With it, attorneys will take these cases knowing they’ll be paid if they prevail.

Build the Paper Trail Before You File

Keep the original sales receipt showing the purchase date and price. Save a copy of the written warranty, physical or digital. Every time you contact the manufacturer or take the product in for repair, log the date, what was done, and the result. Save emails and chat transcripts. Follow the exact service instructions in the warranty document, because skipping a required step hands the warrantor a procedural defense. If the company denies your claim or fails to repair the product after repeated attempts, that record is what turns a frustrating experience into a viable legal claim.

1
Federal Trade Commission. Businessperson’s Guide to Federal Warranty Law
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2301 – Definitions
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2303 – Designation of Written Warranties
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2304 – Federal Minimum Standards for Warranties
5
eCFR. 16 CFR 701.3 – Written Warranty Terms
6
eCFR. 16 CFR Part 702 – Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2302 – Rules Governing Contents of Warranties
8
eCFR. 16 CFR 701.4 – Owner Registration Cards
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2308 – Implied Warranties
10
Federal Trade Commission. Auto Warranties and Auto Service Contracts
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2306 – Service Contracts
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 2310 – Remedies in Consumer Disputes