Guide
Clock one, the presumption window, is when the repairs and shop days must happen: 18 months/18,000 miles in California, 24 months in Florida, 12 months/12,000 in Illinois. When it closes, the presumption — the shortcut — closes with it.
Clock two, the filing deadline, is when you must sue or file: 5 years from delivery in Ohio, 3 years in Minnesota and Alabama, 18 months in Nevada, 6 months after the earliest Texas trigger, 30 months for a Washington AG arbitration request. The two clocks rarely match, and neither extends the other automatically (some states toll the filing clock during arbitration — yours is printed on your state page).
The practical rule: finish the repair pattern inside clock one, and treat clock two as if it were half as long as it is. The checker computes both from your delivery date, warranty date, and state — your personal dates, not the generic ones in a blog post.
The repair-log tracker, your state's notice letter, the buyback worksheet, and your deadline calendar.
Information, not legal advice. Checked October 23, 2026.