At RockPoint Law, lemon law is our core practice. Plano drives on the Dallas North Tollway, the Sam Rayburn, the Bush Turnpike and US 75, in cars that are paid off, financed or leased.
Three quick questions. No cost, no obligation.
Sending this does not create an attorney-client relationship. A case evaluation is a first step, not legal representation.
Whichever it is, a new vehicle that keeps going back for the same warranty defect can be handed back to its manufacturer under Texas law. The claim is filed with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and when a buyback is ordered on a lease, the lease ends with no penalty to you. The lease end date never extends the deadline.
Our Texas attorney: Aaron K. Waldo, Texas Bar No. 24107954, licensed in Texas since 2018.
What a Plano driver, leased or bought, needs to know about a Texas claim, in the order the claim runs, with the section or TxDMV rule for each.
| Key figure | What it means | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Lesseecounts as owner | A lessee counts as an owner, and so does a lessor, where the vehicle was leased from a license holder. A sublessee is the one exception. | Sec. 2301.601(2)(B) |
| Moved herewith the car | A Texas resident who has registered the vehicle in Texas can be an owner, wherever it was bought. | Sec. 2301.601(2)(C) |
| 6 monthsnot lease end | From the earliest of warranty expiry, 24 months or 24,000 miles after original delivery. The lease maturity date is not one of the three. | Sec. 2301.606(d) |
| Lessoron the complaint | A complaint on a leased vehicle asks for the name and address of the vehicle lessor. | 43 TAC Sec. 224.232(b)(2)(D) |
| $35or no fee | A lemon law complaint costs $35. A repair-only warranty performance complaint costs nothing, if the defect was reported before the warranty ran out. | Sec. 2301.712; 43 TAC Sec. 224.232(f) |
| Lease endswithout penalty | On a lease buyback you get back your payments and what you paid to enter the lease, less a use allowance, and the lease ends without penalty. | 43 TAC Sec. 224.260(c) |
| Not boundby the order | A complainant isn't bound by a final order. If you don't accept it, the proceeding is treated as concluded and the file is closed. | 43 TAC Sec. 224.266(b)-(c) |
| $10,000per day | A company that misses the order's deadline can face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day for each violation. | 43 TAC Sec. 224.266 |
The Texas Lemon Law covers Plano drivers on both sides of the Collin and Denton county line. A new vehicle, bought or leased, may qualify if one warranty defect has been in for repair four times, or twice when it is a serious safety hazard, or if the vehicle has spent a cumulative 30 days out of service for repair, all before the warranty ends or 24 months or 24,000 miles pass. The manufacturer can then be ordered to take it back or replace it. You file with TxDMV and pay $35.
The statute is Chapter 2301, Subchapter M of the Texas Occupations Code, and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles administers it under 43 TAC chapter 224. Neither the City of Plano nor Collin County adds rules of its own. The Texas lemon law guide walks through the statute in order.
You don't have to own the car outright. Section 2301.601(2)(B) makes a lessee an owner, and a lessor too, as long as the vehicle was leased from a license holder. A sublessee is the one exception the section names. TxDMV's complaint rule asks for the name and address of the vehicle lessor, so have the leasing company's details ready (43 TAC section 224.232(b)(2)(D)).
If the claim succeeds, the final order can end the lease and divide the money between you and the lessor (section 2301.608(c)). TxDMV's rule adds that the lease is terminated without penalty to the lessee (43 TAC section 224.260(c)(2)).
Under section 2301.606(d), a TxDMV lemon law case must start no later than six months after the first of these to happen:
A 36-month lease signed in the spring of 2025 hits its two-year mark in the spring of 2027, a full year before the car goes back, and the six months run from whichever date came first. Take the delivery date off the lease paperwork, not the maturity date.
People arrive in Plano for jobs with a car bought or leased somewhere else. Paragraph (C) of the owner definition reaches a Texas resident who has registered the vehicle in Texas, wherever it was bought, and paragraph (E) covers a transferee or assignee who is a Texas resident and registered it here. The windows still count from original delivery, so a car that spent its first year in another state has already used part of its 24 months.
Where the Texas statute runs out, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can still apply to a written warranty. If a consumer finally prevails, the court may allow costs and attorney fees under 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d)(2).
A repair history that fits one of the three patterns in section 2301.605(a) raises a presumption that the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts. The manufacturer may try to rebut it, and under section 2301.606(b) it can argue abuse, neglect or unauthorized modification, or that the defect doesn't substantially impair use or market value.
Leased or bought, the tests are the same. Run the self-check on each card against your own paperwork.
The same nonconformity has been through repair four or more times and is still there. Any authorized agent or franchised dealer can do the repairs, so a visit to a dealer in Frisco counts next to one in Plano. The four attempts have to fall before the warranty expires or before 24 months or 24,000 miles from original delivery, whichever comes sooner.
If the defect is a serious safety hazard, two repair attempts do the job of four. Section 2301.601(4) sets the bar high: a life-threatening malfunction that substantially impedes your ability to control or operate the vehicle, or creates a substantial risk of fire or explosion. A drive unit that quits at highway speed could qualify. A seat heater that stays cold wouldn't.
A nonconformity that substantially impairs use or market value is still present, and the vehicle has been out of service for repair for a cumulative total of 30 or more days inside the same window. Separate stays can be added together. Section 2301.605(c) leaves out days when the manufacturer or distributor lent you a comparable vehicle while a franchised dealer repaired yours. A rental you paid for yourself doesn't come off.
Every test uses the same window: the warranty, or 24 months or 24,000 miles from original delivery, whichever closes sooner. The six months to file then run from the earliest of the three dates. Under section 2301.605(b), the periods stretch for any time repairs were unavailable because of a war, invasion, strike, fire, flood or other natural disaster.
A warranty that expires mid-dispute doesn't end the obligation to fix a defect you already reported. Under section 2301.603(b), the duty to conform the vehicle to its warranty continues after the expiration date if you reported the nonconformity during the warranty term to the manufacturer, converter or distributor, or to one of its franchised dealers. So write the defect up while the warranty is running, even if the dealer says it's normal.
On a lease, keep a second record next to the repair orders: the itemized sheet showing what you paid at signing (capitalized cost reduction, down payment or trade-in credit, plus sales tax, license, registration and documentary fees) and every monthly payment. Those are the figures TxDMV uses to work out your share of a lease buyback.
Not sure which test your repair orders meet? We read them at no cost.
This is a self-check against the statutory test, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
A Plano lemon law claim starts with a state agency in Austin, not at the courthouse in McKinney. Section 2301.607(a) makes a refund or replacement unavailable until you have exhausted the TxDMV process. And after that, what you do with the final order is your decision.
A lemon law complaint costs $35 under section 2301.712, repaid by the losing side if you prevail. A repair-only warranty performance complaint costs nothing (43 TAC section 224.232(f)(1)).
A TxDMV case advisor checks that the department has jurisdiction and that the complaint meets the minimum requirements (43 TAC section 224.234), then tries to settle it through mediation before any hearing (section 224.238). If that fails, the complaint goes to TxDMV's Office of Administrative Hearings.
OAH says every hearing is scheduled for four hours and held "in or near the complainant's city of residence." Before the day, the examiner holds a prehearing call about witnesses, exhibits and any inspection. The final order has to be prepared within 60 days after the hearing closes, and it arrives by certified mail (43 TAC section 224.264).
Under 43 TAC section 224.266(b), a complainant is not bound by a final order. If you don't accept it, the proceeding is treated as concluded. If you do, the manufacturer, and the dealer to the extent of its share, must immediately carry it out, and a company that misses the deadline can face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day per violation. Judicial review goes to a Travis County district court under section 2301.609, not Collin County.
Plano sits almost entirely in Collin County, with a small part in Denton County. There are only a few ways courts get into a Texas lemon law dispute at all. If no final order has issued before the 151st day after you filed, TxDMV must notify you by certified mail that you may file a civil action, and section 2301.607(d) then lets you sue anyone named in the complaint. TxDMV's rule describes that suit as one in state district court. A separate warranty claim, a Magnuson-Moss suit for example, is another route.
Which one a given suit belongs in comes down to the claim, the parties and the facts. None of them reviews a TxDMV final order; that goes to Travis County. And if it's the Dallas County courts you're curious about, those are on our Dallas lemon law page.
A buyback is only for new vehicles, and only inside the six months. Section 2301.204 keeps a narrower route open: the owner complains in writing to the dealer, manufacturer, converter or distributor, listing each defect the warranty covers, and sends a copy to TxDMV. If the dispute isn't resolved privately, a hearing can follow.
If you want the documents in order, that's in how to file a lemon law claim. And for hearing-day prep, exhibits and discovery deadlines, our Fort Worth lemon law page goes step by step.
You don't have to sit in Tollway traffic to open a lemon law case from Plano, and if you've ever done the Tollway at rush hour, you know that's a relief. Nearly all the work before a hearing happens by upload, email and phone: TxDMV takes complaints online, the case advisor works by phone and in writing, and even the prehearing conference is just a call.
We collect the repair orders and the lease or sales contract, work out the delivery date and each mileage reading, write to the manufacturer, file the complaint and deal with TxDMV. Your end of it? Send us what you have on a lunch break.
Nearly everything is settled on paper before a hearing is ever set. If no final order has issued by the 151st day after you file, TxDMV must tell you that you may go to court instead. If the case does reach a hearing, the outside dates below run from the day it closes, and once the order arrives, you decide whether to accept it. For a document-by-document list, see how to file a lemon law claim.
The claimant has to be an owner under section 2301.601(2). That covers a retail buyer from a license holder, a lessee or lessor (not a sublessee), a Texas resident who registered the vehicle here, and some transferees. The vehicle has to be new as well: under section 2301.002(24), never sold at retail before, whatever its mileage. Then pull three dates from the paperwork: original delivery, the end of the warranty, and the day the odometer passes 24,000 miles.
Every repair order needs your complaint in your own words, the date in, the date out and the odometer reading, so check it before you drive off. On a lease, keep the amounts paid at signing and each monthly payment next to it, because those feed the lease refund formula. If a fault only appears at 70 mph on the Sam Rayburn, write down the date, time and place each time.
No buyback or replacement can be ordered until the manufacturer, converter or distributor has received written notice of the defect and had an opportunity to cure it (section 2301.606(c)). On a lease, the leasing company that bills you each month isn't who this section names, and neither is the dealer. TxDMV prefers certified mail and provides a sample letter. Keep the receipt.
TxDMV takes two kinds. A lemon law complaint seeks a buyback or replacement, costs $35 and has to meet the six-month deadline. A warranty performance complaint seeks repair only, costs nothing, and needs the defect to have been reported before the warranty expired. On a lease, name the lessor. A case advisor reviews the file and tries mediation.
If mediation doesn't settle it, OAH sets a four-hour hearing in or near your city, you present first, and the examiner issues a written final order within 60 days after the hearing closes. It can order repurchase, replacement or repair, or dismiss the complaint. Then you decide: you aren't bound by the order, and if you accept it, the manufacturer has to act at once. On a lease buyback, the lessor transfers title to the manufacturer and the lease ends.
Plano claims tend to slip in the same few places. A complaint filed without the lessor's name. A notice letter mailed to the leasing company. A driver who waits for the lease to run out and misses the deadline by a year. An owner who blows the six months and never hears that a no-fee repair complaint was still open.
You can file on your own. OAH hearings are informal, and OAH says the parties aren't required to have an attorney. Nobody can tell you in advance how an examiner will rule. We can make sure the owner is named correctly, the notice reached the manufacturer, and the dates are right.
When a manufacturer can't fix a qualifying defect after a reasonable number of attempts, Section 2301.604(a) requires it to pay your reasonable incidental costs and either replace the vehicle with a comparable one or take it back and refund the full purchase price, less a reasonable allowance for your use. You can say which you prefer, and TxDMV's rule has the examiner accommodate that "to the extent possible." So it's not an automatic choice, just to be clear.
For a leased vehicle, TxDMV's rule splits the refund between you and the leasing company (section 224.260(c)). Barring unusual and extenuating circumstances proved by a preponderance of the evidence, you receive every lease payment you made plus what you paid to enter the lease, reduced by a use allowance worked out with the lessor's actual price as the purchase price. The lessor receives what it actually paid for the vehicle plus 5.0% of that price and any amount it paid to secure the lease, less a credit for your payments. The lease ends without penalty, and the lessor transfers title to the manufacturer.
Here's a made-up example, with round numbers so the math is easy to follow. The lessor paid $54,000 for a crossover. You paid $4,000 at signing and sixteen monthly payments of $700, so $15,200 in all. The defect was first written up at 6,000 miles, and the hearing is at 18,000:
That's just the arithmetic, it isn't what your case is worth. Notice, though, that the half-rate miles start at the first report of the defect, and that mileage comes off a repair order, so if the first write-up is vague it can move thousands of dollars away from you.
A purchased vehicle follows section 224.260(b). The refund starts from the total purchase price without interest, finance charges or insurance premiums, the $35 fee is added back, and the same two-rate allowance comes off against a presumed 120,000-mile life. Where a lender has a lien, the refund is split under section 2301.604(b). Our Texas buyback calculator runs your own figures, if you want to try them.
When a refund or replacement is ordered, 43 TAC section 224.262 repays reasonable, verifiable incidental costs from loss of use, such as alternate transportation and towing. A repair-only order doesn't trigger it. Subchapter M has no provision that makes a manufacturer pay your attorney; a court may allow fees on a winning Magnuson-Moss claim.
On a purchase, the price less finance charges and the two-rate use allowance; on a lease, your payments back less the allowance, and the lease ended
A new comparable vehicle from the same product line, of the same model year or newer, with the use allowance charged to you
The result of a warranty performance complaint, or of a lemon law case that doesn't justify a buyback
Rentals, tows and other verifiable costs of losing the vehicle, paid with a refund or replacement
None under Subchapter M itself; a court may allow them on a Magnuson-Moss win, and TxDMV's cost rule covers a narrow case
Outcomes depend on the facts of each case, so no attorney can tell you in advance what yours will be.
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VolvoTxDMV lists cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, motor homes, towable RVs and neighborhood electric vehicles among the new vehicles it covers, bought or leased. Pick whichever type you've got below.
These are covered whether you bought them or leased them new. A demonstrator that was never titled still counts as new, believe it or not, because what the statute looks at is prior retail sale and not mileage. So your leased luxury crossover or the family SUV goes through the same tests as anything else. See our practice areas.
A new pickup's covered on the same footing as a car, nothing special there. If it's a business that owns the truck, our Garland, TX page explains when a company counts as the owner. For upfitted bodies and heavy diesels, have a look at our Fort Worth page and our diesel emissions lemon law guide.
Yes, they're covered. TxDMV names motorcycles among the new vehicles the law protects, and a bike gets the same repair-count and 30-day tests. See our motorcycle lemon law guide.
Motor homes and towable RVs are both on TxDMV's list. A towable has no odometer, so the mileage limits generally don't apply, and a buyback deduction runs in days against a presumed 5,475-day life. See our RV and motorhome lemon law guide.
They're covered like any other new vehicle. Whether it's a drive unit that shuts down or a charging fault or a battery warning that comes right back after each visit, it gets judged by the same tests. One tip, though: ask for a repair order every single time, even on the visits where all they did was a software change. See our electric vehicle lemon law guide.
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.
Read moreWas 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.
Read moreMy 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.
Read moreTurbo 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.
Read moreOur 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.
Read moreMy 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.
Read moreThe 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.
Read moreMy 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.
Read moreThe 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!
Read moreFrom 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!
Read moreWe 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.
Read moreThe 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.
Read moreDefective-vehicle claims are our core practice. A Plano case runs by upload, email and phone until the hearing, so a client in Allen or The Colony gets the same attention as one a few blocks from our Dallas office.
The same attorneys who handle claims nationwide handle them here. Two minutes on who we are and how we work.
Here's the same Plano claim two ways, doing it yourself on one side and doing it with an attorney on the other. If you flip the switch you can compare the same four moments.
TxDMV's complaint rule asks for the name and address of the vehicle lessor where there is one. A lease buyback pays the lessor and ends the lease, so a complaint that treats the car like it's just yours, outright, starts out with a gap in it, and then the case advisor has to go chase that down.
Section 2301.606(d) counts from original delivery and the warranty, never from the lease maturity date. Planning to sort it out at turn-in sounds reasonable enough, but a driver who does that can be a year late by then.
The company that collects the monthly payment isn't the manufacturer, converter or distributor that section 2301.606(c) requires to get written notice. Without that notice and a chance to cure, no buyback or replacement can be ordered.
Missing the lemon law deadline ends the buyback claim, not every claim. A defect reported while the warranty ran can still go to TxDMV as a warranty performance complaint, with no fee.
First we get the lessor's name and address straight off the contract. We file in the lessee's name, and we round up the signing sheet and the payment history too, because the split can't be worked out without them.
We go by your paperwork for the delivery date, the warranty term and how quickly the miles are piling up, and we file well before the earliest trigger instead of scrambling at the end.
We look up the address the manufacturer actually uses for warranty notices, mail the letter with proof of delivery, and note the date, since the complaint form asks for it.
Say the buyback window has already closed. That isn't automatically the end of it; we check when each defect was first reported, and whether a warranty performance complaint is still available.
The Census Bureau estimates that 293,028 people lived in Plano on July 1, 2025, ninth among Texas cities. Of those, 287,323 were in Collin County and 5,705 in Denton County. Head over to the west side and it's office country. Legacy, a 2,665-acre business park in northwest Plano along the Dallas North Tollway, holds corporate and regional headquarters, and Toyota Motor North America opened its North American headquarters in Plano in July 2017, according to the company. And for what it's worth, which brand your car carries doesn't make any difference to a Texas claim, Toyota or otherwise.
The city names four major highways running through it: the Sam Rayburn Tollway, the President George Bush Turnpike, the Dallas North Tollway and US 75. DART's Red Line stops at Downtown Plano and Parker Road, with Orange Line trains as well, and the Silver Line, which began service on October 25, 2025, adds 12th Street station and ends at Shiloh Road on the east side.
If you've driven the Sam Rayburn Tollway frontage (SH 121) along Plano's northern edge and on into Frisco, you've seen the franchised new-car dealers lined up there. Repair visits count at any authorized agent or franchised dealer of the manufacturer, so a warranty visit on the SH 121 row and another one closer to home both go into the same record, as long as each of them gets written up.
We take claims from Plano and from the cities around it too, like:
We should say up front that RockPoint Law has no office in Plano. Our Texas office is at 325 N Saint Paul St., Suite 3100, in downtown Dallas, and Plano clients seldom need to go there anyway. The fastest way to get started is the online intake form. Every request gets reviewed, and we respond as soon as we can. Or you can call (516) 550-3323. And if you'd like to meet in person, Red Line trains from Parker Road and Downtown Plano run right into downtown Dallas.
We should explain the numbers below a bit. They come out of the lemon law settlement record that our firm publishes, across brands, which makes them firmwide results; they aren't Plano or Collin County outcomes. Mostly they're useful for showing what a well-documented defect claim can be worth when it's handled properly. What your own claim is worth is a separate question, and it depends on your facts.
Recovery on a vehicle with engine, electrical and suspension defects.
Recovery on a Macan with suspension, drivetrain, electrical and HVAC problems.
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 Plano or Collin County matters. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. See more RockPoint Law settlements
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Three details about the vehicle, and how to reach you.
No cost, no obligation. Contacting RockPoint Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.
A dedicated team that stands with you through every step of your Lemon Law claim.
What Plano drivers ask before they file, answered from the statute, TxDMV's rules and its published guidance.
No to both. The Texas Lemon Law applies statewide through TxDMV. The Collin or Denton county line only matters for separate lawsuits, never for the lemon law claim.
No, and no. Plano drivers are covered by the Texas Lemon Law, Chapter 2301, Subchapter M of the Texas Occupations Code, and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles runs it statewide under 43 TAC chapter 224. Most of Plano is in Collin County and a small part is in Denton County, but the county line changes nothing about the claim. The complaint goes to TxDMV either way, a hearing is set in or near your city, and any judicial review of the final order goes to Travis County. A new vehicle can qualify after four repairs of the same defect, two for a serious safety hazard, or a cumulative 30 days out of service for repair, inside the warranty or 24 months or 24,000 miles. The county only matters for separate lawsuits.
Six months from the earliest of warranty expiry, 24 months or 24,000 miles after delivery. The lease end date is not one of the three and never extends anything.
You have six months after the earliest of three dates: the end of the express warranty term, 24 months from original delivery, or 24,000 miles from original delivery. That comes from section 2301.606(d). The date your lease matures is not one of the three, so it never extends anything. Someone who signed a 36-month lease and drives little will usually reach the 24-month date first, a full year before the car goes back, and the six months start then. A heavy Tollway commuter may reach 24,000 miles sooner still. Take the delivery date from the lease paperwork and mark all three dates now. If you find you have already missed the six months, ask about a warranty performance complaint before you give up.
Yes. A lessee counts as an owner where the vehicle was leased from a license holder. Name the lessor on the complaint, and send the notice to the manufacturer.
Yes. Section 2301.601(2)(B) of the Occupations Code counts a lessee as an owner, and a lessor too, where the vehicle was leased from a license holder. The one exception it names is a sublessee. When you file, TxDMV's complaint rule asks for the name and address of the vehicle lessor along with the dealer, so take both from the lease contract. The written notice still goes to the manufacturer, not to the leasing company. If the case ends in a buyback, section 2301.608(c) lets the final order end the lease and split the money between you and the lessor, and TxDMV's rule says the lease is terminated without penalty to you. Keep the lease agreement, the signing sheet and your payment history together.
You get back your payments and what you paid to enter the lease, less a use allowance. The lessor gets its cost plus 5.0 percent, less credit for your payments. The lease ends.
TxDMV's rule, 43 TAC 224.260(c), sets the split. You get back every lease payment you made plus what you paid the lessor to enter the lease, such as a capitalized cost reduction, down payment or trade-in, and the sales tax, license, registration and documentary fees. Your share is then reduced by an allowance for your use, calculated with the lessor's actual price as the purchase price. The lessor gets what it paid for the vehicle, plus 5.0 percent of that price and any amount it paid to secure the lease, less a credit for your payments. The lease ends without penalty to you. A hearings examiner can depart from this only for unusual and extenuating circumstances proved by a preponderance of the evidence. TxDMV posts a lease repurchase worksheet.
You may be, if you're a Texas resident who registered the vehicle here. The 24 months and 24,000 miles still run from original delivery, wherever that was.
You may be. The owner definition in section 2301.601(2) is not limited to cars bought from a Texas dealer. Paragraph (C) covers a Texas resident who has registered the vehicle in Texas, and paragraph (E) covers a transferee or assignee of an owner who is a Texas resident and registered the vehicle here. You also have to be someone entitled to enforce the manufacturer's warranty. What does not change is the clock. The 24 months and 24,000 miles run from original delivery, so time and miles driven before the move have already been used, and the six-month filing deadline runs from the earliest of the same dates. Register the car in Texas, keep the repair orders from both states, and have the dates checked early.
The no-fee, repair-only route under section 2301.204. It fits a used car under the original warranty, a car past the window, or a missed six-month deadline.
It is the repair-only route TxDMV runs alongside the lemon law, under section 2301.204. You complain in writing to the dealer, manufacturer, converter or distributor, list each defect the warranty covers, and send a copy to TxDMV to bring in the department. If the problem is not resolved privately, it can go to a hearing. There is no filing fee, and the defect must have been reported to the manufacturer, distributor or converter before the warranty period expired. It fits when a buyback is out of reach: a used vehicle still under the original factory warranty, a car past 24 months or 24,000 miles, or a missed six-month deadline. The order is for repair. TxDMV says out-of-pocket repair costs the warranty should have covered may also be reimbursed.
Possibly. A defect reported while the warranty ran still has to be fixed, and a warranty performance complaint may be open. Find your earliest repair order.
Possibly. The six-month limit in section 2301.606(d) applies to lemon law proceedings, the ones that can end in a buyback or replacement. Missing it closes that door. It does not erase the manufacturer's duty to repair. Under section 2301.603(b), a defect you reported while the warranty was running still has to be fixed after the warranty expires, and TxDMV accepts a warranty performance complaint if the defect was reported to the manufacturer, distributor or converter before the warranty period ran out. That complaint costs nothing to file and goes through the same case advisor, mediation and hearing. A federal Magnuson-Moss claim may also be open for a written warranty. Find your earliest repair order showing the defect, because its date decides which of these routes you still have.
No. You aren't bound by the final order. If you accept it, the manufacturer must carry it out at once, and missing the deadline can cost up to $10,000 a day.
No. TxDMV's rule, 43 TAC 224.266(b), says a complainant is not bound by a final order. If you decide not to accept it, the proceeding is treated as concluded and the complaint file is closed. If you accept it, the manufacturer, and the dealer to the extent it has any responsibility, must immediately take the steps needed to carry the order out, and TxDMV monitors compliance. A company that fails to comply within the time the order sets can face formal action, including civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day for each violation. Either side that disagrees can file a motion for rehearing with the chief hearings examiner, and judicial review after that goes to a Travis County district court. Read the order with someone before you answer.
None at the start. You go through TxDMV first. Courts come in only after the 151st day without a final order, or for a separate warranty suit.
At the start, none of them. Section 2301.607(a) makes you finish the TxDMV process before a refund or replacement is available anywhere else. Courts come in later, if at all. If TxDMV has not issued a final order before the 151st day after you filed, it must tell you by certified mail that you may file a civil action, and section 2301.607(d) lets you sue anyone named in the complaint. A separate warranty suit is another route. In Collin County, the district courts and the County Courts at Law sit at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Road in McKinney. Appeals from Collin County go to the Fifth Court of Appeals. Which court suits a particular claim depends on the facts, and we decide that case by case.
Yes, on Preston Road, part of the Sherman Division. The TxDMV claim doesn't go there, and a Magnuson-Moss claim needs $50,000 in controversy to.
There is. Collin and Denton counties are both in the Sherman Division of the Eastern District of Texas, and federal law says court for that division is held at Sherman and at Plano. The Plano courthouse is on Preston Road. The TxDMV claim itself does not go there, because it runs through the agency and any judicial review goes to a state district court in Travis County. A federal warranty claim under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is different, but it can only be heard in federal court if at least $50,000 is in controversy, counting all claims in the suit. Below that, a Magnuson-Moss claim belongs in state court. Where a consumer finally prevails, the court may allow costs and attorney fees as part of the judgment.
The lease agreement, the signing sheet with amounts paid, a record of every monthly payment, all repair orders, and your notice letter with proof it arrived.
Start with the lease agreement itself, because it names the lessor and shows the original delivery date that starts every Texas clock. Next, find the sheet that itemizes what you paid at signing: any capitalized cost reduction, down payment or trade-in credit, and the sales tax, license, registration and documentary fees. Then gather a record of every monthly payment, from the lessor's online account or your bank statements. TxDMV's lease refund rule is built from exactly those figures, and the complaint form asks for the lessor's name and address. Add every repair order with its dates and mileage, and a copy of your letter to the manufacturer with proof it arrived. If you took the lease over from someone else, keep the transfer papers and your Texas registration too.
No. The complaint, mediation and prehearing call happen online or by phone. The hearing is the one day you're usually needed in person, near where you live.
No. RockPoint Law has no office in Plano. Our Texas office is in downtown Dallas, about 18 miles south, and a Plano client rarely needs to go there. TxDMV takes the complaint online, the case advisor handles mediation by phone and in writing, and the prehearing conference is a telephone call. You can upload the lease or sales contract, repair orders and payment records, then go through them with us by phone or video at a time that fits around work. The day that usually needs you in person is the hearing, which OAH schedules in or near your city of residence. If you would still like to meet face to face, Red Line trains from Parker Road and Downtown Plano run into downtown Dallas.
Tell us the vehicle and what the dealer has already tried. No fee unless we recover for you.†
Leased or bought, and still going back to the dealer? Tell us what the vehicle is doing and how often it has been in, and we'll check it against the Texas tests and your six-month deadline. No cost†, no pressure, and no fee unless we recover for you.
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