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Colorado lemon law: when your car is a lemon and how to claim

In Colorado, a new car counts as a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem, 2 for a serious safety defect or 24 business days in the shop within the first 24 months or 24,000 miles. First, send the manufacturer a written notice: the free letter below does it.

Checked against official sources: Oct 22, 2026

24 mo / 24,000 milemon law period
3 triesrepairs for the same problem
24 business daysout of service
Maybecheck your warranty booklet for an arbitration program (e.g. BBB AUTO LINE)
See the ruledeadline to sue or file
Get your letter ↓

Your next 4 steps in Colorado

  1. Keep every repair order

    Get a written repair order at every visit, with the date, mileage and days in the shop. In Colorado, a car is presumed a lemon after 3 repairs for the same problem, 2 for a serious safety defect or 24 business days in the shop.

  2. Send the manufacturer a written notice

    Send the manufacturer written notice by certified mail (you or someone on your behalf) stating that one or more repair attempts have been made on the same defect and it remains. Write your notice letter ↓

  3. Let the manufacturer make its final repair attempt

    The manufacturer then has 10 business days after receiving it to fix the defect.

  4. Ask for a refund or replacement, use arbitration, or call a lawyer

    If your manufacturer has a dispute program that meets the state’s rules (check your warranty booklet), you may have to use it first. See the Arbitration section below.

When a car is a lemon in Colorado

Within 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first), your car is presumed a lemon if: (1) the same defect was repaired 3 or more times and still exists; (2) the car was out of service for repairs a total of 24 or more business days; or (3) a safety defect (one likely to cause death or serious injury, or a risk of fire or explosion) was repaired 2 or more times and still exists. The defect must substantially impair the car's use and market value, or its safety. The presumption only applies if you first sent the manufacturer written notice by certified mail and gave it 10 business days to fix the defect; that final attempt counts as one of the repair attempts.

Period: 2 years from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever comes first (for vehicles sold or leased on or after August 7, 2024).

Is your car a lemon in Colorado? A quick check

Colorado: 2 years from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever comes first (for vehicles sold or leased on or after August 7, 2024).

Count only business days, as Colorado’s law does.

Fill in what you knowThe result updates as you type.

A rough guide to Colorado’s presumption, not legal advice. Even if your car falls short, you may still have a claim under your warranty or federal law.

Notice to the manufacturer

Send the manufacturer written notice by certified mail (you or someone on your behalf) stating that one or more repair attempts have been made on the same defect and it remains. The manufacturer then has 10 business days after receiving it to fix the defect. Without this notice, the lemon presumption does not apply.

Write your notice letter below.

Arbitration

Maybe — check your warranty booklet for an arbitration program (e.g. BBB AUTO LINE). Colorado has no state-run program. If the manufacturer has or participates in an informal dispute program that substantially complies with federal rules (16 CFR Part 703), you must use it before you can get a refund or replacement under the lemon law. The lawsuit deadline is paused while you are in that arbitration.

Deadline to sue or file in Colorado

File suit within 30 months after original delivery; the clock pauses while you are in the manufacturer's arbitration program and while the car cannot be used because it is being repaired (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 42-10-107, as amended by SB 24-192).

What you can get

The manufacturer chooses whether to replace the car with a comparable vehicle or take it back and refund the full purchase price, including sales tax, license and registration fees, and similar government charges. It may subtract a use allowance: total contract price (or lessee cost) × (miles driven before you first brought the car in for the defect, plus miles driven later while it was not in the shop) ÷ 100,000.

Attorney fees: The lemon law itself does not provide for attorney fees; it keeps your rights under other state and federal laws.

Free lemon law notice letter

Most states require you to tell the manufacturer in writing and give it a last chance to fix the car. Fill this in, download the letter, sign it and mail it to the manufacturer. Keep a copy.

Colorado law says to send this notice by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep the receipt.

On your registration, insurance card or the driver’s side of the dashboard. A VIN never uses I, O or Q.

Find it in your warranty booklet or owner's manual (look for 'Customer Assistance').

Other formats

Who to contact

Office
Colorado Attorney General, Consumer Protection Section (Stop Fraud Colorado)
Phone
800-222-4444

Official page · Official lemon law guide

What the law covers

New vehicles
Yes
Used vehicles
No
Leased vehicles
Not specified
Which vehicles
New self-propelled private passenger vehicles, including pickup trucks and vans, built mainly for highway travel, carrying no more than 10 people, and sold to a consumer in Colorado. Motor homes, vehicles with three or fewer wheels on the ground (such as motorcycles), and vehicles modified for commercial use are excluded. The vehicle must be used for personal, family, or household purposes; the Attorney General says the 2024 update also covers vehicles a small business uses for both business and personal purposes.
Who can claim
The buyer (not someone buying to resell), anyone the vehicle is transferred to for the same purposes while the manufacturer's warranty lasts, and anyone else entitled to enforce the warranty.

Used cars in Colorado

The lemon law does not apply to used vehicles or to licensed used-car dealers, except for the 'Lemon Law Buyback' disclosure rules, which do protect used-car buyers.

Used car rules in every state

Good to know

  • Bought-back lemons must carry a 'Lemon Law Buyback' decal on the driver's door pillar, and starting January 1, 2027, the title is branded 'Lemon Law Buyback.'
  • A dealer selling a lemon buyback must either let your own inspector check the car first or give you a 7-day free-look period to return it for a refund (less shipping).
  • A manufacturer that does not comply with the lemon law can have its Colorado license denied, suspended, or revoked.

Questions about Colorado's lemon law

How many repair attempts make a car a lemon in Colorado?

Within 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first), your car is presumed a lemon if: (1) the same defect was repaired 3 or more times and still exists; (2) the car was out of service for repairs a total of 24 or more business days; or (3) a safety defect (one likely to cause death or serious injury, or a risk of fire or explosion) was repaired 2 or more times and still exists. The defect must substantially impair the car's use and market value, or its safety. The presumption only applies if you first sent the manufacturer written notice by certified mail and gave it 10 business days to fix the defect; that final attempt counts as one of the repair attempts.

How long does Colorado's lemon law cover a car?

2 years from original delivery or the first 24,000 miles, whichever comes first (for vehicles sold or leased on or after August 7, 2024).

Do I have to notify the manufacturer in Colorado?

Send the manufacturer written notice by certified mail (you or someone on your behalf) stating that one or more repair attempts have been made on the same defect and it remains. The manufacturer then has 10 business days after receiving it to fix the defect. Without this notice, the lemon presumption does not apply.

Do I have to go to arbitration in Colorado?

Colorado has no state-run program. If the manufacturer has or participates in an informal dispute program that substantially complies with federal rules (16 CFR Part 703), you must use it before you can get a refund or replacement under the lemon law. The lawsuit deadline is paused while you are in that arbitration.

What can I get under Colorado's lemon law?

The manufacturer chooses whether to replace the car with a comparable vehicle or take it back and refund the full purchase price, including sales tax, license and registration fees, and similar government charges. It may subtract a use allowance: total contract price (or lessee cost) × (miles driven before you first brought the car in for the defect, plus miles driven later while it was not in the shop) ÷ 100,000.

Is there a deadline to file a lemon law claim in Colorado?

File suit within 30 months after original delivery; the clock pauses while you are in the manufacturer's arbitration program and while the car cannot be used because it is being repaired (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 42-10-107, as amended by SB 24-192).

Does Colorado's lemon law cover used cars?

The lemon law does not apply to used vehicles or to licensed used-car dealers, except for the 'Lemon Law Buyback' disclosure rules, which do protect used-car buyers.

Car not covered, or the period has passed? Federal warranty law may still help, and small claims court can handle smaller repair bills.

Federal warranty law

Sources

Last checked: Oct 22, 2026.

Law: Colorado Motor Vehicle Lemon Law (Motor Vehicle Repairs – Manufacturer Warranties), as updated by Senate Bill 24-192, Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 42-10-101 to 42-10-110

Other states