How long do I have to file a Texas lemon law claim?
A complaint to TxDMV must be commenced no later than six months after the earliest of three events: the express warranty term's expiration, or the date 24 months have passed, or the date 24,000 miles have passed, the latter two measured from the vehicle's original delivery (Tex. Occ. Code § 2301.606(d)).
Read that structure carefully, because its edges are sharp. The clock starts at the earliest qualifying event, so a five-year warranty does not stretch the window past 24 months or 24,000 miles. And it runs from original delivery, not from your purchase, which is what makes timing decisive for used-vehicle buyers. To be safe, TxDMV's own advice is to file as soon as you realize the dealer is having trouble repairing the vehicle.
A proceeding under this subchapter must be commenced not later than six months after the earliest of: (1) the expiration date of the express warranty term; or (2) the dates on which 24 months or 24,000 miles have passed since the date of original delivery of the motor vehicle to an owner.
Which deadlines might apply?
Five different clocks can matter to the same vehicle, and they are kept separate here rather than collapsed into one number. Do not read any card as saying that clock applies to your situation; which ones do is a fact about your case.
The administrative filing deadline
Six months after the EARLIEST of: the express warranty term's expiration, or 24 months, or 24,000 miles, each measured from the vehicle's original delivery. The earliest-of structure means a long warranty does not extend the clock past the 24-month / 24,000-mile mark. TxDMV's page prints the mileage trigger with "(except TRVs)"; the statute's text contains no TRV exception, and both statements are published here attributed to their sources.
Tex. Occ. Code § 2301.606(d)
The manufacturer's warranty term
The warranty term matters twice: its expiration is one of the three events that can start the six-month filing window, and the repair duty itself survives the warranty's expiration only if the defect was reported during the term (or a repair-attempt presumption arose during it). Report problems in writing, during the warranty, every time.
Tex. Occ. Code §§ 2301.603(b), 2301.606(d)
The federal Magnuson-Moss limitations period
The federal act contains NO express limitations period for a consumer civil action; both of our independent readings covered the entire chapter looking for one. What period actually applies to a federal warranty claim is a question courts answer from other law, so this site prints no number, and you should be suspicious of any site that does.
15 U.S.C. ch. 50, read in full
The Texas DTPA limitations period
Two years after the deceptive act or practice occurred, or two years after the consumer discovered or reasonably should have discovered it; the period can extend 180 days where the defendant knowingly induced delay. This is a court statute separate from the TxDMV program.
Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 17.565
When the 150-day decision clock actually starts
The statute lets a complainant go to district court if no final order has issued before the 151st day after the complaint was filed. TxDMV's hearing rules add the detail the statute leaves out: a lemon law proceeding commences on the date the DEPARTMENT RECEIVES THE FILING FEE, and filing without paying delays the start of the period and may get the complaint dismissed. Pay when you file and the two dates coincide, which is the practical point of knowing this.
Tex. Occ. Code § 2301.607(c)-(d); 43 TAC §§ 224.232(e)(1), (e)(2)
Rehearing and appeal windows
A motion for rehearing is ordinarily due the 25th day after the decision is signed, filed with the chief hearings examiner. A petition for judicial review is due the 30th day after the order becomes final and appealable, and finality itself depends on the rehearing posture. These clocks interlock; if a decision has issued in your case, talk to a licensed attorney now.
Tex. Gov't Code §§ 2001.144, 2001.146(a), 2001.176(a); Tex. Occ. Code §§ 2301.609, 2301.713, 2301.751, 2301.752
Every number above is quoted or derived from the statute it cites, checked twice against the official text, independently. What this site cannot verify is your delivery date, your odometer reading, your warranty's terms, or whether a mediation extension or rehearing changes your posture. A calculator confident about your deadline without knowing those things would be confidently wrong, which in this area is the most expensive kind of wrong there is. Take your dates to TxDMV or a licensed Texas attorney.