Guide
Texas procedure (§2301.606–.607) is a sequence, and skipping a step sends you back to the start. First, written notice to the manufacturer of the defect. Second, the manufacturer must get a reasonable opportunity to cure. Third, a formal complaint to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles — exhaustion of the TxDMV process is a legal prerequisite to suit.
The deadline rides on top of the sequence: the complaint must be filed not later than 6 months after the earliest of the warranty expiring, 24 months after delivery, or the vehicle reaching 24,000 miles. Owners with long warranties are routinely caught by the 24,000-mile prong — the deadline can arrive while the car is still 'under warranty.'
At a TxDMV hearing, the buyback deduction follows the hearing rule (16 TAC §107.8(4)): miles to the first report at full weight, miles after the first report at half weight, over a 120,000 divisor. It is not California's formula, whatever a national calculator pastes onto Texas.
The repair-log tracker, your state's notice letter, the buyback worksheet, and your deadline calendar.
Information, not legal advice. Checked October 23, 2026.