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Fort Worth Lemon Law

Fort Worth Lemon Law Attorney

At RockPoint Law, lemon law is our core practice. Here in Fort Worth it's a truck more often than not, and the stories sound pretty familiar by now, like the ten-speed that bangs into second on I-35W, or the diesel that goes into reduced power on Loop 820 right when you've got the trailer hooked up, or the camera system that blacks out again every time the dealer says it's fixed.

Free Case Evaluation

Three quick questions. No cost, no obligation.

  1. The year and make of your vehicle
  2. What the dealer has already tried
  3. How to reach you, and we review it
Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323

Sending this does not create an attorney-client relationship. A case evaluation is a first step, not legal representation.

Texas law does have an answer for that. Your claim goes to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and if it gets as far as a hearing, well, Fort Worth happens to be on TxDMV's short list of places where hearings are held. The statute sets no weight limit either, so your one-ton pickup is covered on the same terms as somebody's sedan.

  • Fort Worth is a TxDMV hearing site
  • No weight cap on pickups
  • No fee unless we recover

Our Texas attorney: Aaron K. Waldo, Texas Bar No. 24107954, licensed in Texas since 2018.

Key facts

Fort Worth lemon law at a glance

The figures that decide a Fort Worth truck or car claim, in the order you run into them, with the statute or TxDMV rule behind each.

Key facts for a Fort Worth lemon law claim under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 2301 and 43 TAC Chapter 224
Key figureWhat it meansWhere it comes from
No limiton vehicle weightAny self-propelled vehicle with two or more wheels for a public highway. A three-quarter-ton or one-ton pickup bought new is covered.Sec. 2301.002(23)(A)
Converterthe upfitterA business that fits a body, flatbed, service bed or other equipment before the first retail sale can be answerable for its own work.Sec. 2301.002(6)
4, 2 or 30the three testsFour repairs of the same defect, two for a serious safety hazard, or a cumulative 30 days out of service, inside the rights period.Sec. 2301.605(a)
6 monthsfrom the earliestFrom the earliest of warranty expiry, 24 months, or 24,000 miles after delivery. At 15,000 miles a year, the miles come at about month nineteen.Sec. 2301.606(d)
$35filing feePaid online when you file. A winning complainant gets it back from the other side, inside the refund.Sec. 2301.712; 43 TAC Sec. 224.260(b)(1)
40 daysbefore the hearingLatest point to serve discovery requests. Responses are due within 30 days, and discovery closes 10 days out.TxDMV Office of Administrative Hearings
4 hourshearing settingFort Worth is one of seven main TxDMV hearing locations, at a TxDOT site. You present first and testify under oath.TxDMV Office of Administrative Hearings
Half rateafter first reportMiles driven after you first report the defect are deducted at half rate, against a presumed 120,000-mile life.43 TAC Sec. 224.260(b)(2)
Day 151no final orderTxDMV must tell you by certified mail that you may file a civil action instead.Sec. 2301.607(c)
The Short Answer

What is the lemon law in Fort Worth?

Fort Worth has no lemon law of its own. The Texas Lemon Law covers you here, and it treats a Fort Worth buyer the same as anyone else in the state. If a new car or truck has a warranty defect the dealer has had four tries at, or two if the defect is a serious safety hazard, or thirty days in the shop, the manufacturer can be ordered to buy it back or replace it. You file online with TxDMV for $35. If it goes to a hearing, a TxDMV hearings examiner decides it, and Fort Worth is one of the seven main hearing locations.

The law itself is Subchapter M of Chapter 2301 of the Texas Occupations Code, sections 2301.601 to 2301.613. TxDMV runs the whole process, from the complaint to the final order. There's no Tarrant County version and no city ordinance, so the rules are the same whether you bought in Hurst or in Houston. Our Texas lemon law guide covers the statute section by section.

Three things that surprise Fort Worth drivers

  • You don't file at the courthouse. The Tarrant County civil courts on North Calhoun Street have nothing to do with a lemon law claim at the start. Section 2301.607(a) says you have to go through TxDMV before a refund or replacement is available anywhere else.
  • The hearing can be local. TxDMV's Office of Administrative Hearings lists seven main hearing locations, and the Fort Worth one is a TxDOT facility. The examiners travel in from Austin. TxDMV tries to set each hearing near the complainant's home, though it says some travel may be needed.
  • The decision-maker is a lawyer on TxDMV's staff, not a judge. Section 2301.704 requires a hearings examiner for Subchapter M cases, and that examiner "shall issue a final order."

What has to happen before TxDMV can order a buyback

Under section 2301.606(c), no refund or replacement can be ordered unless someone gave the manufacturer, converter or distributor written notice of the defect and it had a chance to fix it. The notice can come from you, from someone acting for you, or from TxDMV. Send it to the manufacturer, not the dealership on your repair orders, in a way that gives you proof of delivery. TxDMV publishes a sample letter you can work from.

The defect has to matter. Section 2301.604(a) reaches a defect that creates a serious safety hazard or substantially impairs the vehicle's use or market value. TxDMV gives "minor rattles, radio static, etc." as examples of what doesn't count. And under section 2301.603(b) the manufacturer's duty carries on after the warranty ends for a defect you reported while it was running.

Where Subchapter M stops, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can take over, and under 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d)(2) a consumer who wins in court may be allowed costs and attorney fees.

Eligibility

Does your truck or car qualify in Fort Worth?

Section 2301.605(a) gives three ways to show the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts. Meet any one and the law presumes it. The manufacturer can still try to rebut that: section 2301.606(b) lets it argue the problem came from abuse, neglect or unauthorized modification, or that it doesn't substantially impair use or market value. On a modified truck, expect to hear the first of those.

Each test has a Fort Worth example and a self-check you can run against your own repair orders.

Four Trips for the Same Fault

The same defect has been in for repair four or more times and is still there. Every visit has to land before the warranty ends or before 24 months or 24,000 miles from delivery, whichever is first. Repairs by the manufacturer or any of its franchised dealers count, so visits to two different franchised dealers both go toward the four.

A Fort Worth example A half-ton pickup with a transmission that flares between gears, written up four times at two different dealers before 20,000 miles

Two Trips for a Safety Hazard

When the defect is a serious safety hazard, two failed repairs are enough. Section 2301.601(4) sets a high bar: a life-threatening malfunction that substantially impedes your ability to control or operate the vehicle, or one that creates a substantial risk of fire or explosion. Losing power while merging, brakes that fade under a load, or a steering fault could fit. A dead radio wouldn't.

A Fort Worth example A diesel that has twice dropped into reduced power while towing on I-20, with the dealer finding nothing and clearing the code both times

Thirty Days Off the Road

The vehicle has been out of service for repair for 30 or more days in total inside the same window, and a defect that substantially impairs it is still there. The days don't have to be in a row. Only one kind of day comes off the count: days the manufacturer or distributor lent you a comparable vehicle while a franchised dealer had yours, under section 2301.605(c). A rental you paid for yourself isn't that.

A Fort Worth example Nineteen days waiting on a back-ordered fuel pump, then twelve more when the same fault came back, with no loaner from the manufacturer

Inside the Window, and Filed in Time

All three tests share one window: the earlier of the warranty ending, or 24 months or 24,000 miles from original delivery. Then the six-month deadline runs from the earliest of those three dates. For a towable RV with no odometer, TxDMV says the mileage limits generally don't apply. Section 2301.605(b) stretches both the days and the miles for any stretch when repairs were unavailable because of a strike, fire, flood or other disaster.

A Fort Worth example A crew cab bought in March that hit 24,000 miles the following October: the six months to file started in October, not at the two-year mark

Write down what you were towing

Paperwork determines these tests, not memory. Ask for a repair order every time, even when the service advisor says they "couldn't duplicate it," and check that each one shows the date in, the date out, your complaint in your words and the odometer reading.

TxDMV's own advice is to keep every repair order and "maintain a log that describes the issue with date/time and location recorded." A fault that only shows up at highway speed with a load behind you is one a dealer's quick test drive can miss, so write down where it happened and what you were pulling. Keep receipts for rentals and rides too, because reasonable incidental costs from loss of use are reimbursed.

Not sure your repair history clears one of these tests? Send it over for a straight answer.

Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323
Where your case is heard

Where is a Fort Worth lemon law claim heard?

A lemon law claim from Fort Worth touches three places, and only one of them is in Fort Worth. It's filed with TxDMV online, it may be heard at a TxDOT facility in Fort Worth, and if either side asks a court to look at the result, that court is in Austin.

Filed Online, With a $35 Fee

The complaint goes through TxDMV's online system with the $35 fee set by section 2301.712(a). If you win, section 2301.712(b) makes the other side pay it back, and 43 TAC section 224.260(b)(1) puts it into the refund.

Mediation With a TxDMV Case Advisor

Before anyone sets a hearing, Lemon Law Section staff and an assigned case advisor check the complaint for completeness and eligibility and try to settle it between you and the manufacturer. Some claims end here. You can also settle later, right up to the hearing date, by telling OAH in writing and asking for a dismissal.

Heard at a TxDOT Site in Fort Worth

TxDMV lists seven main hearing locations: Austin, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Houston, Pharr and San Antonio. It lists the Fort Worth site simply as TxDOT, and the hearing notice names the building. Hearings are set for four hours, they're informal, and the examiner has to issue a written decision and final order within 60 days of the record closing.

Reviewed in Austin, Not at 100 North Calhoun

A rehearing motion is due by the 25th day after the order is signed. After that, section 2301.609(a) sends judicial review to a district court of Travis County, under the substantial evidence rule, and Government Code section 2001.176 gives you 30 days from the order becoming final and appealable. The Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building plays no part in that review.

If TxDMV hasn't ruled by day 150

Texas puts a clock on the agency as well as on you. Under section 2301.607(c), if no final order has issued before the 151st day after you filed, TxDMV has to send you and the manufacturer a certified letter saying the 150 days have run and that you may file a civil action. Section 2301.607(d) then lets you sue anyone named in the complaint, and section 2301.607(e) says TxDMV's failure to send the letter doesn't take that right away. The 150 days get extended if you asked for or caused the delay.

Two more parts of section 2301.607 matter here. Subsection (b) says a refund or replacement is never available in a suit against the dealer that sold you the vehicle under the Business & Commerce Code, but it is available in a Chapter 17 suit against the manufacturer, converter or distributor once you've been through TxDMV. And subsection (g) voids any contract term that cuts back these remedies, unless it's part of a settlement you signed.

Before a Fort Worth hearing: exhibits, recordings, interpreters and the prehearing call

Once the complaint is referred to OAH, a hearing notice arrives with the date, time and location. Before the hearing the examiner holds a prehearing telephone conference about the time and place, representation, witnesses, exhibits and whether the vehicle should be inspected beforehand. No evidence is taken on that call. TxDMV's published rules apply unless the examiner orders otherwise:

  • Formal discovery takes a subpoena, and OAH supplies the request forms. Under section 2301.704(b) the examiner can compel witnesses and documents.
  • Bring two copies of every document you want in evidence, one for the examiner and one for the other side, and keep a third.
  • Video or audio goes on a USB drive, CD or DVD, with copies to the other side at least five days before the hearing.
  • If you need a language or sign language interpreter, tell OAH at least two weeks ahead. OAH arranges and pays for it.
  • If you hire a lawyer, the examiner has to be told at least five business days before the hearing.

On the day, you carry the burden of proof, so you present first. All testimony is under oath. At an in-person hearing TxDMV's rules let you bring the vehicle so the manufacturer can inspect and test-drive it. OAH doesn't produce transcripts, but you can request a CD of the recording.

Fort Worth sits in five counties: which courts hear the claims that aren't lemon law claims

The Census Bureau places the City of Fort Worth in five counties: Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, Parker and Wise. That doesn't change the lemon law claim, which runs through TxDMV wherever you live. It does change where a separate lawsuit goes.

  • Tarrant County trial courts. The civil district courts sit in the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building at 100 North Calhoun Street. County Courts at Law Nos. 1, 2 and 3 sit in the Tarrant County Courthouse at 100 West Weatherford Street. The county has eight justice of the peace precincts, and a justice court hears civil claims up to $20,000.
  • State appeals. The Second Court of Appeals sits in Fort Worth (Government Code section 22.203) and covers Tarrant, Denton, Parker and Wise counties, among others. Johnson County is in the Tenth Court of Appeals District instead.
  • Federal court. Tarrant, Parker and Wise are in the Fort Worth Division of the Northern District of Texas. Johnson County is in the Dallas Division, and Denton County in the Sherman Division of the Eastern District (28 U.S.C. section 124). A Magnuson-Moss claim gets into federal court only with at least $50,000 in controversy.

For the paperwork order, our guide to how to file a lemon law claim walks through each document, and how the lemon law works covers the basics in plain terms.

Wondering whether the six months has already started? We check that first, at no cost.

  • Have your purchase contract and the delivery date ready. The window runs from original delivery, not from the day you signed.
  • Pull every repair order you have, with the dates and odometer readings. Missing ones can usually be requested from the dealer.
  • Tell us about anything added to the truck, before or after purchase: lift, tuner, wheels, bed equipment, upfit.
  • You talk to the people who would handle the file, not a call center.
Start My Free Case Review 
A Fort Worth driver on the phone at home while a TxDMV Lemon Law complaint is prepared and filed online for them
You Stay Put

You don't have to drive to Dallas

Our Texas office is in downtown Dallas, and a Fort Worth client almost never needs to go there. The complaint is filed online. Mediation runs through a TxDMV case advisor by phone and in writing. The prehearing conference is a phone call. The only day that normally needs you in person is the hearing, and TxDMV tries to hold it close to where you live.

We gather the repair orders, read the odometer on each one, work out which test your record meets, write the notice to the manufacturer (or to the upfitter, where it built the part that keeps failing), file the complaint, deal with the case advisor, serve discovery on time and prepare you for the hearing. You make one call to start.

How It Works

How long does a Fort Worth lemon law case take?

Some claims settle at mediation and that's the end of it. The ones that go to a hearing run on TxDMV's prehearing deadlines, shown below counted from the latest day to serve discovery, then on the 60-day limit for a written decision once the record closes. In the background, if no final order has issued by the 151st day after filing, you may go to court instead. TxDMV's own advice, for what it's worth, is to file "as soon as the consumer realizes the dealer is having problems repairing the vehicle." If you want it document by document, see how to file a lemon law claim.

  1. Day 0Latest day to serve discovery requests: at least 40 days before the hearing
  2. Day 30Responses due, when requests were served on Day 0. Discovery closes, and motions to compel are due
  3. Day 35Latest day to serve copies of any video or audio recordings on the other side
  4. Day 40The hearing: a four-hour setting, you present first, testimony under oath

Confirm the Vehicle Is New, and Find Your Dates

Subchapter M is a new-vehicle law. Under section 2301.002(24) a vehicle is new if it hasn't been sold at retail before, "regardless of the mileage," and TxDMV confirms that a demonstrator never titled before counts as new. A used truck still under the original factory warranty can get repair through TxDMV's warranty performance process, but only a new vehicle can be bought back or replaced. Then fix three dates: original delivery, the end of the express warranty, and the day the odometer passed 24,000 miles. The earliest starts your six months.

Build the Repair Record, One Order at a Time

Each repair order is evidence, so read it before you drive off the lot. It should state your complaint the way you described it, plus the date in, the date out and the mileage. Even when the dealer couldn't reproduce the fault, ask for an order anyway. If they keep the truck for days waiting on parts, write the dates down, because those feed the 30-day test. Hang onto receipts for rentals and rides too, since section 2301.604(a) makes the manufacturer reimburse reasonable incidental costs from loss of use.

Put the Manufacturer on Written Notice

Without written notice there's no buyback, simple as that. Section 2301.606(c) bars a refund or replacement order unless the manufacturer, converter or distributor was told in writing and had a chance to cure. TxDMV says it prefers certified mail. If it's a work truck, ask who built the part that's failing. If an upfitter fitted the body, cab or equipment before the truck was first sold, it can be a converter under section 2301.002(6) and should get its own letter.

File With TxDMV Before the Six Months Ends

File through TxDMV's online complaint system and pay the $35 fee. Don't sit around waiting on the deadline. Then a case advisor looks over the complaint and tries mediation. While that's going on, your file stays private, since under section 2301.612, what you file isn't a public record until a final order resolves the complaint. And keep logging the fault the whole time the complaint's running.

Prehearing Call, Hearing, Final Order

If mediation doesn't settle it, OAH sends out a hearing notice and the examiner holds a prehearing conference by phone. Discovery has deadlines of its own, and you bring two copies of every exhibit. The hearing's set for four hours, and you go first, because the burden of proof is on you. The examiner then has 60 days from the close of the record to issue a written decision and final order, which can order repurchase, replacement or repair, or dismiss the complaint. A rehearing motion is due by the 25th day after the order is signed.

Here's where Fort Worth claims tend to slip: a repair order written up as "customer states noise" when the truck was actually losing power, or a letter that went to the dealership's service manager instead of the manufacturer, or an upfitter nobody ever wrote to. Or a crew cab that crossed 24,000 miles in month seventeen, while the owner was still counting toward two years.

Plenty of people handle their own claim, and TxDMV built the process so they can. No lawyer can tell you how a hearing will come out. What we can do is make sure the record's complete, that the notice went where it was supposed to, and that the dates hold up.

Outcomes

What compensation can you receive?

If you win, section 2301.604(a) has the manufacturer, converter or distributor reimburse your reasonable incidental costs from loss of use, and either replace the vehicle with a comparable one or take it back and refund the full purchase price, less a reasonable allowance for use. The statute doesn't give the owner the choice between those two, but TxDMV's rule softens that: under 43 TAC section 224.260(a)(2) the examiner will, "to the extent possible, accommodate the complainant's request."

What counts as the purchase price

TxDMV's rule defines it as the total purchase price, excluding interest, finance charges and insurance premiums. The buyback includes taxes, title and license fees, and it carries the $35 filing fee back to you. Where a lender holds a lien, the money is split according to each one's interest under section 2301.604(b). A lease has its own formula in section 224.260(c), and section 2301.608(c) lets the order end the lease outright.

The use deduction, worked through

The rule presumes a useful life of 120,000 miles, which either side can try to rebut. Take a made-up example with round numbers: a $62,000 pickup, first written up for the defect at 9,000 miles, reaching the hearing at 21,000 miles.

  1. The first 9,000 miles cost their full share: 9,000 ÷ 120,000 × $62,000 = $4,650.
  2. The next 12,000 miles would cost $6,200 at the full rate, so at half rate they cost $3,100.
  3. The deduction is $7,750, leaving $54,250, and the $35 fee goes back on top: $54,285 before any lender's share.

That illustrates the formula, not a forecast for your truck. The first-report mileage drives the whole thing, and it comes straight off a repair order. A truck that went in at 9,000 miles but was written up for something vaguer loses that split point. Our Texas buyback calculator runs the same arithmetic on your figures.

If you ask for a replacement

Under section 224.260(d) the manufacturer authorizes an exchange for a comparable vehicle you pick. The dealer prices the new one at MSRP and credits yours at its original MSRP, less the same use allowance. You pay or finance that allowance, any lien, and the taxes and fees on the new sale other than documentary fees. If the exchange can't be finished in the time the order sets, the manufacturer has to repurchase instead.

After the order

The manufacturer has to fix the defect back to factory specification, issue a new 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty, and send a disclosure statement with the vehicle through its next retail sale under section 2301.610. Subchapter M has no fee-shifting provision. The fee statute that matters is federal: under 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d)(2), a court may let a consumer who wins a Magnuson-Moss claim recover them.

Possible Outcomes

Five things a successful Fort Worth claim can bring

  • Repurchase

    The purchase price without interest or finance charges, minus the split-rate use deduction, with the $35 fee added back

  • Replacement

    A comparable vehicle you choose, priced MSRP to MSRP, with the use allowance and any upgrades paid by you

  • Repair order

    Where the vehicle doesn't qualify for a buyback or replacement, the examiner can order the warranty work done

  • Incidental costs

    Reasonable costs from loss of use, reimbursed alongside a refund or replacement, within TxDMV's rules

  • Attorney fees

    Not from Subchapter M itself. TxDMV's cost rule covers them only if you hire a lawyer after being told the manufacturer has counsel, and a court may award them on a winning Magnuson-Moss claim

Outcomes depend on the facts of each case, so no attorney can tell you in advance what yours will be.

Manufacturers We've Taken to Court

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Biggest Names

Vehicles We Handle

Which vehicles does the lemon law cover in Fort Worth?

Texas writes its definition pretty broadly. Section 2301.002(23) covers any self-propelled vehicle with two or more wheels built mainly to carry people or property on a public highway, and it sets no weight limit. And in a city where a heavy-duty pickup is basically the everyday vehicle, that matters more than you'd think. Go ahead and pick a category below.

Pickups, SUVs and Cars

Covered, if you bought or leased it new, and you don't have to go check a weight rating first. As it happens, some of the full-size SUVs you see on Fort Worth roads were built in Tarrant County: GM's Arlington Assembly plant has built vehicles since 1954, and these days it builds the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade. Not that it matters for a claim, where a vehicle was built makes no difference. See our practice areas.

Heavy-Duty Diesels and Upfitted Trucks

A diesel pickup's covered like any other new vehicle. Section 2301.002(23)(C) treats an engine, transmission or rear axle built for a vehicle rated over 16,000 pounds as a motor vehicle on its own. If a body, flatbed or service bed was fitted before the first retail sale, the fitter can be a converter. Be careful with tuners and lifts here, since section 2301.606(b)(1) lets the manufacturer blame an unauthorized modification, though it has to prove the link. See our diesel emissions lemon law guide.

Motorcycles

Yep, covered. The definition reaches vehicles with two or more wheels, and TxDMV lists motorcycles among the new vehicles the law protects, so you get the same repair-count and 30-day tests. See our motorcycle lemon law guide.

Motor Homes and Travel Trailers

TxDMV covers motor homes and towable recreational vehicles. A towable RV has no odometer, so the mileage limits generally don't apply, and its deduction is worked out in days. Non-travel trailers, boats and farm equipment aren't covered. With a motor home you've often got one company's chassis and somebody else's coach on top of it, so the first question is who built the part that's failing. See our RV and motorhome lemon law guide.

Electric Vehicles and Hybrids

These are covered like any other new vehicle, and TxDMV names neighborhood electric vehicles too. Charging faults, drive-unit failures, software problems that come back after every update, all of that fits the same tests. And an electric pickup's still a pickup as far as the statute's concerned. See our electric vehicle lemon law guide.

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Client Stories

What Our Clients Say

Real results from real clients who trusted
RockPoint Law with their lemon law claims.

I contacted RockPoint Law in July 2025 and by mid Jan 2026, I had received my settlement proceeds. A mid 5-figure loan was paid off and the manufacturer took possession of the vehicle. Not having that car payment and the mandatory full coverage freed up about $900/month. If you're on the fence about calling RockPoint Law, let it go. The relief you will feel when it all works out will be soooo worth it.

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HJ
Henry Jose
Google Review

Was having nothing but issues with the DEF system in my Ram 3500. I didn't have high hopes because 3500 trucks are generally excluded from lemon law. The entire process from the time I contacted RockPoint Law to the time I received my settlement was under 6 months! Their response times were well above expectations.

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JR
Joe Russo
Google Review

My Telluride's transmission would jerk so hard between gears that my coffee would spill. Dealer had it four times. When I called RockPoint Law, they asked the exact technical question I'd been researching for weeks. We got a buyback with reimbursement for my deductible and rental costs. They speak fluent mechanic before they speak lawyer.

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K
Kirill
Google Review

Turbo failure on my EcoBoost F-150. Dealer replaced it once, then denied the second. Steven Nassi compared my case to known manufacturing defects for that engine. Other lawyers just saw 'engine trouble.' Steven built the argument around the known defect pattern. Secured a full refund.

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JR
Joshua Ragsdale
Google Review

Our minivan's sliding door would just stop working. Not a great feature with little kids. Tried to get it fixed under warranty three times. Final straw was when it almost closed on my son's arm. Leo was our attorney and got us a great outcome. They handled everything from start to finish.

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JG
Jorge Garcia
Google Review

My family's cross-country road trip turned into a nightmare when our brand-new SUV broke down in three different states. Each dealership kept giving us the run-around. RockPoint Law tracked every failed repair, hotel receipt, and even our unused theme park tickets. They got us a full buyback plus $8,200 for the vacation that fell apart.

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AG
Adam Gore
Google Review

The active suspension in my Ram 1500 started making a loud 'clunk' on every bump. Dealer replaced one part but the noise just moved to another corner. After the third repair, I was done. Natalie Nassi said, 'A repeated failure of a major chassis component is a clear impairment to value and use.' She didn't see a noise; she saw a failed system.

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PM
Piyawan Maprakhon
Google Review

My car is basically my mobile office. When the electrical system fried two laptops and killed my productivity, I reached out to RockPoint Law. Unlike the dealer who treated me as a nuisance, RockPoint Law saw how it impacted my ability to work. They secured a full refund on the vehicle plus $6,500 for lost income and equipment.

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SK
Sadie Kim
Google Review

The manufacturer told me I was out of luck. RockPoint Law told me otherwise — and proved it! Their lemon law experience turned my nightmare into a fair resolution. What impressed me most was their transparency — no false claims, just hard facts and harder work. Worth every penny and then some!

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KE
Kevin Eimuth
Google Review

From the moment I walked into their office shaking with frustration, the team at RockPoint Law put me at ease. They listened patiently to my whole story, then laid out a clear game plan. Six weeks later, I was holding a check that made all those repair shop trips worth it. True professionals who deliver!

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JB
Jatt James Bond
Google Review

We had two vans with the same transmission failure. RockPoint Law consolidated both claims, lined up build dates, and pushed for an extended coverage fix. Both vans were repaired, and we got downtime reimbursed.

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KS
Kishan Singh
Google Review

The hands-free liftgate on my SUV would randomly open in my garage, denting the door. I felt crazy complaining about a 'convenience feature.' Our attorney reframed it: 'An uncontrolled operation of a motorized component is a safety and property damage risk.' The team used my security camera footage as evidence. We got a solid settlement.

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PS
Peyman Soleimani
Google Review
Why RockPoint

Why Fort Worth drivers choose RockPoint Law

Lemon law and consumer warranty cases are our core practice. And since a Fort Worth claim mostly happens on paper, over the phone and online right up until the hearing, it honestly doesn't matter if you live in Saginaw or Benbrook, you get the same attention somebody in downtown Dallas would get.

Lemon Law Is Our Core Practice

We're not a firm that does a bit of this and a bit of that. Lemon law and warranty work is the job, every day, for people whose vehicles turned out to be defective.

We Ask About the Truck First

The first thing we ask about is the truck itself. Was there an upfitter, what add-ons, did it ever have a tuner, how much has it towed? We want to know who built the failing part and what the manufacturer's going to point at before we send so much as a letter, because on a work truck that's what decides who gets the notice. Dealer add-ons have their own rule under section 2301.608(b).

Ready for a Four-Hour Hearing

We prepare for the hearing from the day we take the case. By the time it's set, discovery's gone out inside the 40-day window, there are two copies of every exhibit, the vehicle's there for inspection and we've got a witness plan for the four-hour setting at the Fort Worth site.

Clear Communication

We'll keep you posted at every stage of your case and tell it to you straight. No long silences from us, and no surprises either.

No Upfront Legal Fees

If your case qualifies we handle it on contingency, so there's no fee unless we recover for you. If you win at TxDMV, the other side repays the $35 filing fee.

Meet the Team →
Our Story

Meet the Firm Behind Your Claim

The same attorneys who handle claims nationwide handle them here. Two minutes on who we are and how we work.

Side-by-Side

Do I need a lemon law attorney in Fort Worth?

Want to see the difference? Flip the switch. On one side it's a Fort Worth claim you handle on your own, on the other it's the same claim with an attorney, and it's the same four moments both times.

Vehicle repair invoices spread across a kitchen table with a hand hovering over them
On your own1 / 4

Letting the tuner or lift become the defense

Section 2301.606(b)(1) lets the manufacturer argue the fault came from an unauthorized modification. The owner who never mentions the tuner they pulled off, or the lift they bolted on, tends to find out about it for the first time at the hearing, and by then there's no evidence ready to show it has nothing to do with the defect.

A person on the phone at a home desk with a notepad of call notes
On your own2 / 4

Suing in Tarrant County before TxDMV has ruled

Section 2301.607(a) makes a refund or replacement unavailable until you've been through TxDMV, and section 2301.607(b) rules out getting one from the selling dealer at all. Running to the courthouse first just eats up time, and the six-month deadline doesn't give it back to you.

A wall calendar with deadline dates circled in red beside a set of car keys
On your own3 / 4

Arriving at the hearing with one copy and no truck

OAH asks for two copies of every exhibit, recordings served five days ahead, and discovery requests out at least 40 days before the hearing. At an in-person hearing you may also bring the vehicle. If you miss those dates, it's your own evidence that stays out of the record.

One person alone at the end of a long empty hearing room table
On your own4 / 4

Taking a buyback offer figured at one rate

TxDMV's rule charges miles after your first report of the defect at half rate. So an offer that knocks off every mile at the full rate, or that starts from a price with finance charges baked in when the rule leaves them out, can come up thousands short on a heavy-duty truck. It looks fine until you run it.

Hands working through an organized stack of repair orders with a highlighter and index tabs
With RockPoint Law1 / 4

Every modification disclosed and answered early

We go through every change made to the truck, figure out which ones could touch the defect and which can't, and pull the proof together before the manufacturer gets a chance to raise it.

A certified mail envelope and return receipt card being prepared on a desk
With RockPoint Law2 / 4

TxDMV first, then the courthouse only if it pays

We get it filed with TxDMV inside the six months and we watch for the 151st day. Only then do we weigh a separate suit, and it goes in whatever court fits the claim and the county you live in.

An open case planner with color-coded deadline tabs being marked
With RockPoint Law3 / 4

A hearing prepared to TxDMV's own checklist

Discovery gets calendared back from the hearing date, exhibits get copied and tabbed, recordings get served on time, the witnesses are lined up and the vehicle's there to be inspected.

A bound exhibit folder open on a conference table
With RockPoint Law4 / 4

The deduction checked line by line against the rule

We pull the first-report mileage off the repair orders, strip out the interest and finance charges, run the half rate after that point and put the $35 back, and only then do we answer an offer.

Serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County

On the ground in Fort Worth

A city of a million, across five counties

Fort Worth reached the million mark this decade. The Census Bureau estimates 1,028,117 residents on July 1, 2025, up from a 2020 base of 918,892, so it's now the fourth-largest city in Texas and the tenth-largest in the country, if you can believe it. Tarrant County, all around it, had an estimated 2,248,466, and all but about 21,000 of the city's residents live on the Tarrant side.

Hard miles on a warranty clock

TxDMV counted 1,720,389 vehicles registered in Tarrant County in fiscal 2024, and only Harris and Dallas counties beat that. A lot of those vehicles spend all day on the corridors where TxDOT's Fort Worth District lists projects, so I-30 and I-35W through the middle of the city, the I-820 loop around it, I-20 down south, and SH 121 and SH 183 going northeast. Put a long daily commute together with some weekend towing and you can close the 24,000-mile side of the window well before the two-year side.

We take claims from all over Fort Worth and the towns around it, for example:

  • Arlington
  • North Richland Hills
  • Keller
  • Southlake
  • Hurst
  • Euless
  • Bedford
  • Haltom City
  • Benbrook
  • Mansfield
  • Burleson
  • Weatherford

How to reach us

To be upfront about it, RockPoint Law doesn't have an office in Fort Worth. Our Texas office is at 325 N Saint Paul St., Suite 3100, over in downtown Dallas, and most Fort Worth clients never set foot in it. The quickest way to get started is the online intake form. We look at every request and respond as soon as we can. You can also call (516) 550-3323.

If you'd like to meet in person, the Trinity Railway Express runs between Fort Worth Central Station, at 9th and Jones Streets, and EBJ Union Station in downtown Dallas, or if you're driving, I-30 links the two downtowns. Truthfully, most clients find a video call does the same job and saves them the trip.

Nearby Texas pages

Case Results

Recent RockPoint Law recoveries

Okay, so these three numbers need some context. They come out of the lemon law settlement record our firm publishes, across brands. That means they're firmwide results, they're not Fort Worth or Tarrant County outcomes, and we'd hate for anybody to think otherwise. They show what a well-documented defect claim can be worth when it's handled properly. That's what they're here for.

$160,264 BMW X6

Recovery on a vehicle with engine, electrical and suspension defects.

$144,550 Porsche Macan

Recovery on a Macan with suspension, drivetrain, electrical and HVAC problems.

$110,289 Rivian R1T

Recovery after electrical, engine and suspension failures on an electric pickup.

Figures are drawn from our firm's published settlement record and are not specific to Fort Worth or Tarrant County matters. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. See more RockPoint Law settlements 

RockPoint Law, by the numbers

$50M+**
Recovered for clients
3,000+‡
Cases handled
25+
Years of combined experience
97%*
Resolution rate
  • Free Consultation
  • No attorney's fees unless we recover for you.†
Recent Google reviewsAcross all RockPoint offices: 4.8 from 19 Google reviews
  • ★★★★★a month ago
    I had a really good experience with RockPoint Law. The whole process was a lot easier than I expected and everyone I dealt with was helpful and responsive. Whenever I had a question, I was able to get an answer without feeling like I was chasing anyone down. They handled everything and kept me updated along the way. Definitely glad I reached out to them.
    Ronen S. Malekmehr
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law and wasn't sure. Called anyway because I was at my wit's end. Natalie Nassi answered and she remembered me from somewhere else. Same calm voice, same no-nonsense approach. She took my case and handled everything. Manufacturer bought the car back. Name on the door changed but Natalie didn't. That's what matters to me.
    Tanja Moldenhauer
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law online and wasn't sure because I hadn't heard of them. But I was desperate. My car had been in and out of the shop for months. Called them up and the person I spoke with was so easy to talk to. No legal mumbo jumbo, just straight talk. They took my case and got me a buyback. New name but they know what they're doing. Would recommend.
    Rodolfo Paulino
2 more Google reviews
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Honestly wasn't sure about RockPoint Law since I hadn't heard of them before. But I was desperate. My car had been in the shop five times for the same problem and nobody could figure it out. Service advisor started avoiding my calls. I found RockPoint online, called, and the person I talked to was really down to earth. They took my repair orders and handled the whole thing. A few months later, the manufacturer bought the car back. New name but they got it done. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
    Om Shiv
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law pop up when I was googling lemon law help. Wasn't sure about the name but figured I'd give it a shot. My Jeep Gladiator had a death wobble at highway speeds—front end would shake violently. Dealer replaced the steering stabilizer twice, still shook. The person I talked to at RockPoint was super calm and explained everything clearly. They handled the claim and Jeep bought the truck back. Glad I didn't let the new name scare me off. They got the job done.
    Víctor Torres

About this page

Written by the RockPoint Law Editorial Team · Reviewed by Aaron K. Waldo, Texas Bar No. 24107954 (State Bar record). Prepared September 2026 to reflect the Texas Lemon Law, Subchapter M of Chapter 2301 of the Texas Occupations Code, Sections 2301.601 through 2301.613, and TxDMV rule 43 TAC 224.260. See our editorial policy.

Anyone can check a Texas attorney's license and public discipline record in the State Bar of Texas Find-A-Lawyer directory. We think you should, for any firm you're considering, including this one.

Start here

Tell us what the car is doing in Fort Worth

Three details about the vehicle, and how to reach you.

  • The year and make of your vehicle
  • What the dealer has already tried, and whether you paid for it
  • Your name, phone and email. We review every request and respond as soon as we can

No cost, no obligation. Contacting RockPoint Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Check my case Start My Free Case Review Or call (516) 550-3323
Our Team

Meet the Team
Behind RockPoint Law

A dedicated team that stands with you through every step of your Lemon Law claim.

Steven Nassi
Steven Nassi
Managing Partner
Founder · 25+ years of litigation experience
★ Founder & Managing Partner
Natalie Nassi
Natalie Nassi
Managing Partner
Columbia University · 20+ years in consumer advocacy
Ron Kaniuk
Ron Kaniuk
Florida Managing Partner
St. John's University School of Law · Consumer protection & lemon law
Aaron Waldo
Aaron Waldo
Attorney
U.S. Marine Corps veteran · Automotive background
Liam Jones
Liam Jones
Attorney
Licensed in New York & New Jersey
Christian Garcia
Christian Garcia
Senior Case Manager
Case management from intake through resolution
Rudy Gutierrez
Rudy Gutierrez
Intake Manager
First point of contact for new clients & case evaluations
FAQ

Fort Worth lemon law questions

What Fort Worth drivers ask us before they file, answered from the statute, TxDMV's rules and its published guidance.

Do I need a lawyer for a lemon law claim in Fort Worth?

No. TxDMV says parties don't need an attorney. The case for help is practical: you carry the burden of proof, the examiner can't advise you, and the deadlines are strict.

No, and TxDMV says so itself. Its hearings are informal, and the Office of Administrative Hearings states that parties are not required to have an attorney. Plenty of owners file their own complaint. The case for help is practical. You carry the burden of proof at the hearing, you present your evidence first, and the hearings examiner is not allowed to give you legal advice. The deadlines are also unforgiving: six months to file, discovery requests served at least 40 days before the hearing, and exhibits in duplicate. If you do hire a lawyer, the examiner must be told at least five business days before the hearing. At RockPoint Law the consultation is free, and qualifying cases are handled on contingency, so you pay no fee unless we recover.

Where will my Fort Worth lemon law hearing be held?

Probably in Fort Worth, at a TxDOT site. It's one of TxDMV's seven main locations, with Austin, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Houston, Pharr and San Antonio, though some travel may be needed.

Probably in Fort Worth, though TxDMV does not commit to a place in advance. The Office of Administrative Hearings says hearings are held in or near the complainant's city of residence, and its seven main locations include Fort Worth, at a TxDOT facility. The others are Austin, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Houston, Pharr and San Antonio. TxDMV says it tries to set each hearing near the complainant's home but that some travel may be required. The hearings examiner is based in Austin and travels to the location. Expect a four-hour setting. At an in-person hearing, TxDMV's rules let you bring the vehicle so the manufacturer can inspect and test drive it. Your hearing notice gives the exact date, time and place, and the prehearing phone conference is the time to raise any problem with the location.

How long do I have to file a lemon law complaint from Fort Worth?

Six months from the earliest of the warranty expiring, 24 months, or 24,000 miles after delivery. On a hard-working truck the miles often come first, around month nineteen at 15,000 a year.

Six months, but the start date is the part people get wrong. Section 2301.606(d) of the Occupations Code runs the six months from the earliest of three dates: the day your express warranty expires, the day 24 months have passed since original delivery, or the day the vehicle passes 24,000 miles. For a truck that sees a lot of highway, the mileage date often comes first. At 15,000 miles a year, that is around month nineteen, so your deadline could fall months before the vehicle is two years old. Your repair visits also have to happen before the earlier of the warranty ending or the 24-month, 24,000-mile limit. TxDMV's advice is to file as soon as you realize the dealer is having trouble fixing the problem, rather than waiting on the calendar.

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

Four repairs of the same defect, two for a serious safety hazard, or 30 cumulative days out of service, inside the earlier of the warranty or 24 months or 24,000 miles.

Section 2301.605 sets three routes, and any one of them creates a presumption that the manufacturer has had enough chances. The first is four or more repairs for the same defect, which is still there. The second is two or more repairs of a defect that creates a serious safety hazard, meaning a life-threatening problem that substantially impedes control of the vehicle or creates a substantial risk of fire or explosion. The third is thirty or more days out of service for repair in total, with a substantial defect still present. The attempts must come before the earlier of the warranty ending or 24 months or 24,000 miles from delivery. Days when the manufacturer lent you a comparable vehicle do not count toward the thirty. The manufacturer can still try to rebut the presumption.

Does the Texas lemon law cover a heavy-duty pickup?

Yes. Texas sets no weight limit on a self-propelled vehicle, and a powertrain built for a vehicle over 16,000 pounds can count on its own. Used trucks get repair, not a buyback.

Yes. The Occupations Code defines a motor vehicle as a self-propelled vehicle with two or more wheels built mainly to carry people or property on a public highway, and sets no weight limit. A three-quarter-ton or one-ton pickup bought new in Texas is covered on the same terms as a compact car. The statute also goes a step further for heavy equipment: an engine, transmission or rear axle made for a vehicle rated above 16,000 pounds gross vehicle weight counts as a motor vehicle in its own right, whether or not it is attached to a chassis. Used trucks are treated differently. TxDMV says only new vehicles can be ordered repurchased or replaced, though a used truck still under the original factory warranty may get repair help through its warranty performance process.

Who is responsible when an upfitter built part of my truck?

It depends on the failing part. An upfitter that fitted a body or equipment before the first sale can be a converter and a respondent. Work it out before the notice letters go out.

It depends on which part keeps failing. Texas law names three possible respondents: the manufacturer, the distributor and the converter. A converter, under section 2301.002(6), is a business that installs or fits a body, a cab or special equipment onto a chassis before the vehicle's first retail sale. On a work truck with a service body, a flatbed or a dump bed added before you bought it, the upfitter can be a converter. If the fault is in the engine or transmission, the chassis manufacturer is the usual respondent. If it is in the upfitted body or its equipment, the converter may be. Written notice has to reach the right party before TxDMV can order a refund or replacement, so work this out before the letters go out, not afterwards.

Will a lift kit, tuner, or dealer add-on harm my lemon law claim?

It can. The manufacturer can blame an unauthorized modification but has to prove the link to the defect. Dealer add-ons are governed by different rules. Disclose every change at the start.

It can, depending on the defect. Section 2301.606(b)(1) lets the manufacturer defend a claim by proving the problem resulted from abuse, neglect or unauthorized modification of the vehicle. A performance tuner on a diesel with an engine fault is an obvious target for that argument. A leveling kit on a truck whose touchscreen keeps failing is not. The manufacturer has to prove the connection, so the question is always whether the change could have caused this defect. Dealer-installed options follow separate rules. The dealer can be ordered to reimburse the cost of an add-on only to the extent it contributed to the defect, and a manufacturer is not required to repurchase for a defect caused solely by a dealer add-on. Tell your lawyer about every change at the start.

What should I bring to a TxDMV lemon law hearing?

The vehicle, two copies of every exhibit plus your own, the sales contract, repair orders, warranty and notice letter, and any recordings on a drive served five days ahead.

Start with the vehicle. At an in-person hearing, TxDMV's rules let you bring it so the manufacturer can inspect and test drive it. Then bring two copies of every document you want in evidence, one for the examiner and one for the manufacturer, plus a copy for yourself. The documents the examiner most often asks for are the sales contract or purchase order, an odometer statement, the warranty, every repair order, your correspondence with the manufacturer and your written notice of the defect. Video or audio has to be on a USB drive, CD or DVD, with copies to the other side at least five days ahead. Need an interpreter? Ask OAH at least two weeks ahead, and OAH arranges and pays for it.

How is a lemon law buyback calculated for a Fort Worth truck?

Price without interest or finance charges, less full-rate miles to your first report and half-rate miles after, plus the $35 fee. A $62,000 truck at 9,000 and 21,000 miles loses $7,750.

The refund starts from the total purchase price, leaving out interest, finance charges and insurance premiums, and then subtracts an allowance for your use. TxDMV's rule presumes a useful life of 120,000 miles and splits your mileage at the first time you reported the defect. Miles before that report are charged at the full rate, which is those miles divided by 120,000 and multiplied by the price. Miles from the first report to the hearing are charged at half that rate. The $35 filing fee is then added back, and any lienholder is paid its share. For example, a $62,000 truck first reported at 9,000 miles and heard at 21,000 miles carries a deduction of $7,750. That first repair order's mileage is the number that matters most, so make sure it shows the defect.

Can I ask for a replacement truck instead of a refund?

You can ask, and the examiner is to accommodate it where possible. A replacement is priced MSRP to MSRP, less the same use allowance, and you pay that allowance and any lien.

You can ask, and the rule tells the examiner to accommodate your request as far as possible, though the statute does not give you an absolute choice. If replacement is ordered, you pick a comparable vehicle. The dealer prices the new one at its MSRP and credits your current one at its original MSRP, minus the same use allowance a buyback would deduct. You pay or finance that allowance, any lien still on your vehicle, and the taxes and fees on the new sale, except documentary fees. If the new vehicle's MSRP is higher, you pay the difference. If it is lower, you get a credit, capped at the use allowance. If the exchange cannot be finished in the time the order allows, the manufacturer has to buy your vehicle back instead.

What happens if TxDMV has not decided my case after 150 days?

TxDMV must send certified notice that you may file a civil action, and you can then sue anyone named in the complaint. The 150 days stretch if you caused the delay.

Texas gives you a way out. Under section 2301.607(c), if no final order has been issued before the 151st day after you filed, TxDMV must send you and the manufacturer written notice by certified mail that the 150 days have run and that you may file a civil action. Section 2301.607(d) then lets you sue any person named in your complaint, even though the general rule is that you must finish the TxDMV process first. If TxDMV never sends the letter, section 2301.607(e) says your right to sue is not affected. The 150 days are extended if you asked for a delay or caused one. Whether to stay at TxDMV or go to court at that point is a strategic choice, and the right answer depends on how far the case has progressed.

Do I have to go to Dallas to work with RockPoint Law?

No. The complaint, mediation and prehearing call happen online or by phone, and the hearing is set by TxDMV near your home, with Fort Worth one of its locations.

No. RockPoint Law has no office in Fort Worth, and our Texas office is in downtown Dallas, but a Fort Worth client rarely needs to go there. The complaint is filed with TxDMV online. Mediation runs through a TxDMV case advisor by phone and in writing. The prehearing conference is a phone call. We can review your repair orders by upload and talk it through by video or phone at a time that suits you. The one day that usually needs you in person is the hearing, and TxDMV tries to hold it near your home, with Fort Worth one of its listed hearing locations. If you would still like to meet face to face, the Trinity Railway Express runs from Fort Worth Central Station to Union Station in downtown Dallas.

Don't take on the manufacturer alone.

Tell us the vehicle and what the dealer has already tried. No fee unless we recover for you.†

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