2024 Toyota Tacoma Oil Leak Lemon Law Buyback in Texas
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Our client bought a new 2024 Toyota Tacoma in Texas that kept leaking oil from the left side of the valve cover. A burnt oil smell reached the cab, and the leak was still there at the third repair visit. The claim resolved as a buyback, with Toyota repurchasing the truck for a total of $48,776.
The vehicle and its defects
Our client bought a brand new 2024 Toyota Tacoma truck. The file doesn't have any information about when this was purchased or what the odometer reading was at delivery time.
The defect was an engine oil leak. Oil seeped past the exhaust camshaft position sensor at the valve cover, and a burnt oil smell made its way into the cab. At the second visit the dealer found a split and torn o-ring on the front camshaft position sensor, yet the leak and the smell were still there at the third.
| Vehicle | 2024 Toyota Tacoma |
|---|---|
| State | Texas |
| Purchase | Bought new |
| Repair visits | 3 |
| Days out of service | 4 |
| Resolution | Buyback, settled February 2026 |
| Total | $48,776 |
The repair record
The repair history has 3 visits between December 2024 and February 2025. In total the Tacoma was out of service for 4 days.
- December 2, 2024
The dealer confirmed an oil leak at the valve cover. Oil was seeping through the threads of the exhaust cam position sensor.
- January 13-14, 2025
The owner returned with the leak still present on the left side of the valve cover. The leak was suspected as the source of a burnt oil smell, and the dealer found that the front camshaft position sensor o-ring was split and torn.
- February 3, 2025
The oil leak on the left side of the valve cover had not stopped. The burnt oil smell was still in the cabin.
Texas Lemon Law and federal warranty law
Two laws apply to a case like this one. Under the Texas Lemon Law (Tex. Occ. Code §2301.601 to §2301.613), a new vehicle bought or leased in Texas for personal, family or household use can qualify after 4 attempts to fix the same defect, after 2 when the defect is a serious safety hazard, or after 30 cumulative days in the shop. The remedy is a refund or a replacement, minus a reasonable deduction for use. Texas claims go through a complaint and hearing at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, filed within 6 months after the warranty expires or the truck reaches 24 months or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever is earliest.
The Texas statute does not shift attorney fees. A consumer who wins the state case recovers the $35 filing fee from the manufacturer, and that is all. That gives the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.) added weight in Texas, since it lets an owner pursue a breach of the written warranty and may allow recovery of attorney fees.
- Statute
- Texas Lemon Law, Tex. Occ. Code §2301.601 to §2301.613
- Repair test
- 4 repair attempts for the same defect (or 2 for serious safety defects), or 30 cumulative days out of service
- Time limit
- Within 6 months after the earliest of the express warranty expiration or 24 months/24,000 miles from original delivery
- Federal law
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.
More on Texas: Texas lemon law attorney page and how to file a lemon law claim in Texas.
How RockPoint built the claim
This case rested on one defect that would not go away. The dealer confirmed the leak on the first visit, found a torn o-ring on the second, and still recorded the leak and the cabin smell on the third. Three dealer-documented visits for the same problem made a clear warranty record.
The time in the shop was short, only 4 days. The file's strength came from repetition and from the burnt oil smell, which was suspected to come from the leak.
The outcome
In February 2026 the case settled with a buyback, and Toyota repurchased the Tacoma. The total value of the resolution came to $48,776 ($48,776.08 exactly). The total covered the loan payoff, the owner's payment and attorney fees.
Questions about this case
The statute uses 4 attempts for the same defect, 2 for a serious safety hazard, or 30 cumulative days out of service. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can also apply to a written warranty claim like this one.
No. The Texas statute has no attorney-fee provision, though a consumer who wins at TxDMV gets the $35 filing fee back from the manufacturer. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act may allow recovery of attorney fees.
With the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which holds a hearing. Texas uses this state-run complaint process instead of traditional arbitration.
Within 6 months after the earliest of the express warranty expiring or the vehicle reaching 24 months or 24,000 miles from original delivery. That deadline applies to complaints filed with TxDMV.
The total value of the resolution was $48,776. From that total came the loan payoff, the payment to our client and attorney fees.
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