Colorado's lemon law and your rights as a buyer

What the lemon law protects, what it doesn't, and what rights you keep when you buy used. With the state's exact deadlines.

This guide summarizes the recorded scope for Colorado (C.R.S. 2026, título 42, artículo 10 (§§ 42-10-101 a 42-10-110), reformado por SB 24-192 (vigente 7 de agosto de 2024)). Eligibility, deadlines and notice requirements depend on the law and applicable coverage; read the state conditions below, including used-vehicle conditions where relevant.

What it covers

New passenger cars, pickups and vans for up to 10 people sold in Colorado to a consumer for personal, family or household use, with a defect that substantially impairs use and market value, or safety. Certain small-business vehicles with both business and personal use may qualify under the updated law; small-business ownership alone does not establish eligibility, and vehicles modified for commercial use are excluded.

Rights period: The first 24,000 miles or 2 years from delivery to the first owner, whichever comes first. The right passes to anyone who receives the car within the manufacturer's warranty.

When it is presumed a lemon

Three or more failed repair attempts for the same defect; or 24 or more cumulative business days out of service; or two attempts if the defect is safety-based (risk of death, serious injury, fire or explosion), all within the first 24,000 miles or 2 years. Before the presumption runs against the manufacturer you must notify it by certified mail and give it 10 business days to fix the problem; that attempt counts as one of the three (§ 42-10-103(2)).

The presumption does not replace the other requirements. Check the official conditions and procedure for your situation.

The process

Notice to the manufacturer by certified mail: the owner's manual must include the form with the manufacturer's name and address (§ 42-10-103(2)(d)). If the manufacturer has a dispute program meeting federal rule 16 CFR 703, you must use it first (§ 42-10-106); the Colorado Attorney General points to the BBB Auto Line, 1-800-955-5100. Then a lawsuit in court: the deadline is 30 months from original delivery, paused while the car is in the shop or in arbitration (§ 42-10-107). The court awards attorney fees to whoever wins (§ 42-10-103(3)).

Who handles it: Colorado Attorney General — Consumer Protection (información y quejas); el reclamo se resuelve con el fabricante, en el programa de disputas del fabricante o en la corte. Aviso: la página de quejas del Procurador General todavía describe la ley anterior a SB 24-192 (cuatro reparaciones, 30 días, un año); los números vigentes son los de esta página..

Hotline: (720) 508-6000 (Colorado Department of Law).

What you get if you win

At the manufacturer's choice: a comparable replacement car, or refund of the full price with sales tax, plates, registration and other governmental charges, minus a use allowance. The allowance is the total contract price multiplied by the miles driven before you first brought the car in for that defect, plus the miles driven afterward while the car was actually available, divided by 100,000 (§ 42-10-103(1) and (4)). Miles the car spent in the shop do not count against you.

What it does not cover

Motorcycles, mopeds and any vehicle designed to travel on three or fewer wheels, autocycles included; motor homes; vehicles modified for commercial use; vehicles carrying more than ten people; and anything that is not a passenger car, pickup or van (§ 42-10-101(2)). Used cars: article 10 does not apply to them, except the buyback rules in §§ 42-10-108 and 42-10-109 (§ 42-10-110(1)); it also does not apply to a licensed used motor vehicle dealer (§ 42-10-110(2)). The manufacturer can defend on abuse, neglect or unauthorized owner modifications, and on the defect not substantially impairing safety, or use and market value (§ 42-10-104).

I bought used: what do I have left

More than it seems, even if it isn't the lemon law:

• The Buyers Guide (FTC). The guide states the dealer warranty. "As Is" describes that warranty; it does not by itself resolve other state-law rights or remaining manufacturer coverage. The federal rule applies in 48 states (Maine and Wisconsin have their own equivalent rules). If the sale is conducted in Spanish, the dealer must post a Spanish-language Buyers Guide.
• Remaining manufacturer warranty. Check the warranty contract and its duration and transfer conditions; vehicle age does not guarantee coverage.
• In Colorado: Mandatory written brand disclosure before the sale (DR 2710, § 42-6-206) with a full refund if a rebuilt was hidden from you; the deceptive trade practices law (§ 6-1-708) bars hiding salvage, buyback or material damage and applies to used cars (§ 42-6-205); on a buyback the dealer must let a third party of yours inspect the car or give you 7 days to return it for a refund of everything paid less shipping, and must disclose that right to you in writing before you buy (§ 42-10-108); the dealer must deliver or facilitate the title within 30 days of the sale (§ 42-6-112; § 42-6-119(3) if the title came from another state); written complaints go to the Auto Industry Division (DR 2267). There is no used-car lemon law or mandatory implied warranty: "as is" means "as is".