Texas lemon law: a consumer guide

Who is covered?

Texas's administrative lemon law addresses qualifying new vehicles purchased or leased with serious warranty-covered defects that substantially impair use or market value, or create a serious safety hazard. The agency also explains warranty-performance help for other vehicles.

Start with the purchase or lease agreement, registration, original delivery date and complete warranty. A vehicle marketed as new, used or certified may need a closer look under the statute's definitions. If you moved, bought across state lines or use the car for business, flag those facts before assuming the rules below apply.

Coverage periods and mileage

A defect must be reported within the manufacturer's written warranty term. Texas's reasonable-attempt tests use additional time and mileage rules; the complaint filing clock is a separate question.

Keep three dates separate: when the symptom began, when you reported it and when the facility attempted repair. Also keep the mileage for each event. An appointment booked before a deadline is not necessarily the same as a legally sufficient report. Preserve emails and work orders so the actual sequence can be checked.

Repair attempts and days out of service

TxDMV's current webpage describes four repairs of the same continuing defect, two repairs of a continuing serious safety hazard, or 30 or more repair days during the first 24 months / 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. Comparable-loaner days do not count toward its 30-day test. Older agency handouts contain different repair-window wording; confirm the current test with TxDMV.

These figures are not an automatic qualification score. The nature of the defect, whether it remains or recurs, and the applicable evidence rules still matter. Count actual visits and downtime separately. Keep raw drop-off and ready-for-pickup dates rather than relying on your own legal interpretation of which days should count.

Manufacturer notice and final repair

Give the manufacturer written notice of the defect and at least one opportunity to repair it. TxDMV recommends certified mail with return receipt requested. A dealer's knowledge of the problem is not a safe substitute for sending the required manufacturer notice.

Read the warranty's contact section and the official instructions before sending anything formal. Include a factual description, repair chronology and vehicle identification in a private submission. Keep a complete copy and proof of delivery. Sending a complaint to a dealer, agency or online review site is not necessarily the same as notifying the manufacturer.

Arbitration and dispute programs

TxDMV administers the state's lemon law complaint process. Start with its consumer-protection instructions and current complaint forms. A manufacturer customer-service claim is not the same thing as filing the agency complaint, and private arbitration should not be assumed to preserve the agency deadline.

Identify the specific program, who administers it, what claims it accepts and whether participation or acceptance is required. Request the rules before applying. A customer-service case, manufacturer informal program, state hearing and binding contractual arbitration are different processes. Keep the application, acknowledgment, evidence packet and decision together.

What about used cars?

A used vehicle may qualify for warranty-performance assistance if still covered by the manufacturer's original warranty. Do not equate that repair assistance with automatic repurchase or replacement under the new-vehicle lemon law. Ask TxDMV which remedy and process apply to the specific vehicle.

Preserve the advertisement and any written promises made at sale. A service contract sold separately is not interchangeable with a manufacturer's warranty. A history report can supplement your file but does not establish legal coverage or replace a mechanical inspection. Our used-car guide explains how to separate those questions.

Deadlines: do not use the protection period as a filing date

TxDMV says the complaint must be filed no later than six months after the earliest of the warranty's expiration, 24 months after delivery, or 24,000 miles following delivery. Towable recreational vehicles have special mileage treatment. Confirm the date directly with TxDMV rather than waiting for negotiations to end.

Make a calendar entry to verify timing now, not after another repair fails. Ask which event starts the clock, whether a particular notice must be received rather than sent and whether any program affects limitations. Do not assume informal negotiations, a pending parts order or a verbal assurance extend a legal deadline.

A practical next-step plan

First, address immediate safety. Ask a qualified repair professional about safe transport and avoid recreating a dangerous failure to produce evidence. A recall search may identify model-level campaigns, but a VIN check with NHTSA or the manufacturer is the better next step for an individual vehicle.

Second, create one repair file. Keep the transaction documents, complete warranty, every repair order, dated symptom notes and receipts. Use a one-page timeline as an index, not as a substitute for the original records. Include visits where the technician could not duplicate the problem and repairs that cost you nothing.

Third, match your timeline to the official state process. Identify the responsible manufacturer contact, any final repair opportunity and the correct dispute program. If a record is inaccurate, request a written correction rather than editing the invoice yourself. Keep your own observations separate from a technician's diagnosis.

Finally, review proposed outcomes carefully. A repurchase, replacement, trade-in and cash settlement are different transactions. Ask how loan or lease payoff, deductions, expenses, vehicle return and released claims are handled. Do not stop payments, cancel insurance or surrender the car solely because someone says a resolution is being considered. A licensed attorney can explain claim-specific obligations and settlement terms.