Texas lemon law
Texas runs its lemon-law program through the Department of Motor Vehicles rather than the Attorney General. The TxDMV holds free hearings before an administrative law judge, and decisions are binding on the manufacturer. The 2-attempt rule for safety defects is one of the more aggressive in the country.
Pricing
Free: VIN decoding and NHTSA safety recall lookups, unlimited, no signup and no credit card. Paid: a full vehicle history report is $9.99 for one VIN, $14.99 for a 3-report pack and $24.99 for a 10-report pack. One-time payment, no subscription and no auto-renewal.
Frequently asked questions
How many repair attempts does Texas require?
Texas generally requires 4 attempts (or 2 for safety) for the same substantial defect, or a cumulative 30 days out of service, within first 24 months / 24,000 mi.
Does the Texas lemon law cover used cars?
Yes — but with a catch. The Texas Lemon Law covers used vehicles only if the same defect was first reported during the original manufacturer warranty period. If you bought used and the issue first appeared after warranty expiration, you'll need to rely on Magnuson-Moss or breach-of-warranty claims instead.
What is the deadline to file a Texas lemon law claim?
Texas requires the consumer to file a TxDMV lemon-law complaint within 6 months after the earliest of: warranty expiration, 24 months from delivery, or 24,000 miles. Missing this deadline forfeits state-program rights.
Data sources
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoding API
- NHTSA safety recall database
- NHTSA complaints database
- NMVTIS (U.S. DOJ) title-brand records
CleanVins is not affiliated with Carfax, AutoCheck, NHTSA or NMVTIS.