Irving Lemon Law

Irving residents file with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement Division in Austin, not in Dallas County district court. The complaint goes through the TxDMV Motor Vehicle Dealer Online Complaint System, the $35 filing fee applies (refundable if you prevail), and a TxDMV hearings examiner conducts mediation and any contested hearing. Hearings are most often held by videoconference; in-person hearings are typically scheduled in Austin at the TxDMV Jackson Avenue office. Either side can appeal a final order to a Texas district court within 30 days.

Vehicles bought through an employer-sponsored purchase or lease program are generally covered by the Texas Lemon Law on the same terms as any other Texas sale, provided the vehicle was delivered to you in Texas and you are the registered owner or lessee with rights under the manufacturer's warranty. Corporate-fleet titling can complicate standing — if the vehicle is titled to your employer and you are merely a permitted driver, you may not have the right to file a TxDMV complaint in your own name. Confirm the title and lease structure before filing.

Hail damage itself is excluded because the Texas Lemon Law targets defects in materials or workmanship, not weather damage. However, manufacturing defects in factory paint, glass adhesion, sunroof seals, or trim that become evident after a hailstorm repair can still qualify if they recur after warranty refinish work has been performed multiple times. TxDMV examiners carefully distinguish weather-caused damage (not covered) from a latent factory defect that hail repair exposed. Keep every repair order and refinish record when documenting a paint or sealing claim.

From the date TxDMV accepts an Irving-area complaint, mediation typically opens within 30 to 60 days and a contested hearing is scheduled within roughly 120 to 150 days of filing. The examiner generally issues a written decision within 60 days of the close of the hearing record. Either party may request reconsideration within 25 days and appeal a final order to a Texas district court within 30 days. Manufacturers routinely settle before the hearing because TxDMV can order repurchase or replacement if the consumer prevails.

A Texas Lemon Law complaint must be filed with TxDMV within six months following the earliest of (a) expiration of the express written warranty, (b) 24 months from the vehicle delivery date, or (c) the date the odometer reaches 24,000 miles. This is one of the shortest deadlines in any state lemon law and applies in Irving identically to elsewhere in Texas. If you miss the TxDMV window, claims under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (generally four years) or the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (two years from discovery) remain available, but those are filed in court.

Yes. The Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code Chapter 17) allows Irving residents to sue a dealership or manufacturer in Dallas County district court for unfair or deceptive practices, breach of warranty, or misrepresentation, with potential treble damages and attorneys' fees. The DTPA does not require you to exhaust the TxDMV Lemon Law process first. Many lawyers file both proceedings — a TxDMV Lemon Law complaint targeting the manufacturer's repurchase obligation, and a parallel DTPA case in Dallas County addressing dealer-level conduct or punitive damages.

Yes. Leased vehicles are covered to the same extent as purchased vehicles, and Irving-area lessees can file Lemon Law complaints with TxDMV directly. If TxDMV orders a repurchase, it can terminate the lease and apportion the refund — including the reasonable allowance for use — between the lessee, the lessor (often a captive finance arm like Toyota Financial Services or BMW Financial), and any lienholder. You must still meet one of the three repair tests, give the manufacturer written notice and a final repair opportunity, and file within the six-month TxDMV deadline.