States

Texas lemon law: when a new car is a lemon

What Tex. Occ. Code §§ 2301.601 to 2301.613 asks before a manufacturer must repurchase or replace a car, the steps on the way and the last day to act.

Does your car meet the Texas lemon law tests?

Defect that could cause death or serious injury?
Written notice already sent to the manufacturer?
Your warranty (default 3 years or 36,000 miles)

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Texas, November 5, 2026 read on the official state page

Not yet: one more repair attempt

Protection period2 years or 24,000 miles or the warranty term, whichever ends first: until January 5, 2028 or 24,000 miles. You are inside it.
Repair attempts, same defectNot met: needs 4, you have 3
Serious safety defectNot met: needs 2 attempts, you have no safety defect
Days out of serviceNot met: needs 30 calendar days, you have 12
NoticeWritten notice to the manufacturer (certified mail preferred) and at least one chance to repair.
Dispute stepComplaint to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles ($35 fee), which holds the hearing.
File the state complaint by July 5, 2028 (608 days left)TxDMV complaint within 6 months after the earliest of the warranty end, 24 months or 24,000 miles.

Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. Tex. Occ. Code §§ 2301.601 to 2301.613 · Texas DMV

The Texas lemon law in detail

Texas handles lemon law claims through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, under sections 2301.601 to 2301.613 of the Occupations Code. The department’s page and notice, read on November 1, 2026, set the tests: within 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first, a vehicle qualifies after four repair attempts on the same defect, after two attempts on a serious safety hazard, or after 30 days out of service, not counting days the owner had a comparable loaner. The owner must give the manufacturer written notice, certified mail preferred, and at least one chance to repair. The complaint goes to TxDMV with a $35 filing fee, within six months after the earliest of the warranty end, 24 months or 24,000 miles. Cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, ATVs, motor homes and towable RVs, bought or leased, are covered.

When is the last day to act?

File the state complaint, Texas

March 5, 2028

Days from today486 left
Rule: TxDMV complaint within 6 months after the earliest of the warranty end, 24 months or 24,000 miles.
Open the deadline calculator →

State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

A state agency decides in Texas

Texas does not leave lemon law claims to manufacturer programs. The department reviews the complaint and, when the case does not settle, holds a hearing that decides whether the manufacturer must repurchase, replace or repair. The $35 filing fee is the only cost the department sets.

Used vehicles in Texas get a warranty performance complaint instead: the department can order a repair under a remaining warranty but cannot order a buyback. The loaner rule matters too: days with a comparable car provided by the dealer do not count toward the 30.

The Texas lemon law at a glance

Checked in early November 2026. Dates of any archived copy are given in the last row.
LawTex. Occ. Code §§ 2301.601 to 2301.613
Protection period2 years or 24,000 miles or the warranty term, whichever ends first
Repair attempts4 attempts on the same defect
Serious safety defect2 attempts for a serious safety defect
Days out of service30 calendar days
Written noticeWritten notice to the manufacturer (certified mail preferred) and at least one chance to repair.
Dispute stepState-run program. Complaint to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles ($35 fee), which holds the hearing.
DeadlineTxDMV complaint within 6 months after the earliest of the warranty end, 24 months or 24,000 miles.
Use offset in a buybackNo formula in the text we read
Vehicles coveredNew cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, ATVs, motor homes and towable RVs, bought or leased. Loaner days do not count.
Used carsUsed vehicles: warranty-performance complaint only, no refund or replacement.
State pageTexas DMV
Level of readingread on the official state page

From written notice to a decision

Certified mail, return receipt requested.

Earliest decisionbetween Oct 16, 2026 and Nov 25, 2026

3Today

  1. 1. Done · milestone

    Written notice reaches the manufacturer

    Oct 16, 2026

    Written notice to the manufacturer (certified mail preferred) and at least one chance to repair.

    Tex. Occ. Code §§ 2301.601 to 2301.613

  2. 2. Done · milestone

    Final repair attempt

    Oct 16, 2026

    No fixed number of days for this step in the Texas text we read.

  3. 3. In progress · 0 day – 6 weeks

    Dispute program decides

    Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026

    A program that follows 16 CFR Part 703 must decide within 40 days of receiving your dispute. Complaint to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles ($35 fee), which holds the hearing.

    16 CFR 703.5(d)

  4. 4. Upcoming · milestone

    Accept, refuse or go further

    Oct 16, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026

    TxDMV complaint within 6 months after the earliest of the warranty end, 24 months or 24,000 miles.

Texas: each bar is proportional to the time the text gives for the step; a step with no time in the law is a milestone.

Questions people ask

How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Texas?

The Texas presumption starts at 4 attempts on the same defect, or 2 attempts for a serious safety defect, or 30 calendar days out of service in total, within 2 years or 24,000 miles or the warranty term, whichever ends first.

Does the Texas lemon law cover used or leased cars?

New cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, ATVs, motor homes and towable RVs, bought or leased. Loaner days do not count. Used cars: Used vehicles: warranty-performance complaint only, no refund or replacement. A used car sold with the rest of the manufacturer’s warranty still carries that warranty, which federal law enforces even where the state lemon law stops. Leases are covered where the text names lessees.

Must I go through arbitration before suing under the Texas lemon law?

Complaint to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles ($35 fee), which holds the hearing. Time limit: TxDMV complaint within 6 months after the earliest of the warranty end, 24 months or 24,000 miles. Under the federal rule, 16 CFR Part 703, a manufacturer program that a warranty requires you to use first must decide within 40 days, and its decision does not bind you if you go to court afterwards. The warranty booklet names any program the manufacturer offers.

Check next

Lemon law checker

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Compare state laws

Two states side by side, and the table of all 50 states and DC: period, attempts, days, dispute step, deadline.

Notice letter builder

Build the written notice to the manufacturer, with your state’s law cited; it is made in your browser and never sent.

Arbitration

State-run programs and manufacturer programs: which comes first in your state, the 40-day rule, and the timeline from notice to decision.

Deadline calculator

The last day to file a lemon law claim in your state, counted from delivery, the protection period or the warranty.

Laws and official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a state-by-state reference to new and used car lemon laws in the United States, with eligibility, deadline and refund calculators

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State lemon laws 2026, read in each state code and on state consumer pages, last checked on