Courts

The Colorado Attorney General has been trying to reach an extended car warranty company about its mailers

Some of the mailers contain phrases like "FINAL NOTICE" and state that your vehicle coverage “may have already expired.”
Man looks at his smartphone while driving an Audi
Extended car warranty providers have inspired countless jokes and memes displaying their ability to reach you.

Unsplash/Alexandre Boucher

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U.S. Automotive has been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty. The Colorado Attorney General’s Office has been trying to reach U.S. Automotive.

According to court documents filed in Denver District County by Attorney General Phil Weiser, the AG’s Office has reasonable cause to believe that U.S. Automotive Protection Services LLC, a Missouri-based company selling extended vehicle warranties, is violating state laws with predatory activities that include “aggressive mailed solicitation,” “failing to inform Colorado consumers of their privacy rights” and ignoring consumer requests to delete their data or opt out of targeted advertising “even after repeated requests.”

The warranty company is hard to get a hold of, though.

In his June 16 court filing, Weiser says his office has been trying to subpoena U.S. Automotive since last year. He issued one subpoena in March 2025, and a state attorney later spoke several times with a lawyer representing the company — who said that U.S Automotive would “not produce the requested information.” That lawyer no longer represents U.S. Automotive, the AG’s Office says, but the warranty dealer is still holding the line.

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The AG’s Office believes that U.S. Automotive is breaching the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA). According to Weiser’s filing, the CPA mandates that entities in control of or processing personal data must “honor consumer preferences and protect personal data from misuse.” Rights granted by the CPA include visible privacy notices, the ability to access copies of our personal data, and the ability to opt out of the sale of our personal data.

By not advising consumers of their CPA rights, U.S. Automotive is engaging in deceptive trade practices, the AG’s Office claims.

Controlling data

According to the request to enforce the subpoena, some U.S. Automotive mailers contain titles and ledgers like “FINAL NOTICE” and “Vehicle Service Division,” stating that a recipient’s vehicle coverage “may be expiring or may have already expired.” But it’s not just that.

“U.S. Automotive’s mailers sent to Coloradoans do not contain a privacy notice or other explanation of Colorado consumers’ ability to exercise their CPA rights, or alternatively, where consumers can find this information online,” Weiser argues in court documents. “One consumer complained to the Attorney General’s Office that U.S. Automotive refused to honor her six requests to opt out of U.S. Automotive’s targeted advertisements.”

U.S. Automotive did not respond to a request for comment on its mailers or the AG’s allegations. On the bottom of U.S. Automotive’s website, there are links titled “Privacy Notice,” “Delete My Personal Information” and “Do Not Sell My Personal Information.” It is unclear how long those links have been in place. The latter two both provide forms asking for phone numbers, email addresses and physical addresses. The form to block the sale of personal data on U.S. Automotive’s website contains the following message: “By opting out, we may no longer be able to provide certain personal information to our partners and, as a result, you may no longer receive benefits provided to other consumers. PLEASE NOTE: A Do Not Sell request does not opt you out of US Automotive Protection Services marketing.”

In his filing, Weiser details several instances of trying to reach out to U.S. Automotive over the last 15 months. He says the company did not provide reasons for its refusal to comply until last November, arguing that it should not be legally considered a “controller” of personal data.

The State of Colorado defines a data controller as “a person that, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes for and means of processing personal data.” There are other bars to be considered data controllers, such as an audience of at least 100,000 consumers in the state and the intentional targeting of Colorado residents.

Approximately 22 other states have laws with similar personal data protections.

U.S. Automotive reportedly told the AG’s Office that its consumer base is fewer than 100,000, so it doesn’t have to adhere to CPA data rules. But the AG’s Office isn’t buying the claim, and wants more proof on its mailer practices.

“U.S. Automotive appears to send promotional materials to consumers very soon after a consumer registers a new car in Colorado. According to the Colorado Automobile Dealers’ Association, new vehicle registrations statewide in Colorado were over 221,000 in 2024 and over 225,000 in 2025,” Weiser argues.

Not the first time

Weiser’s office has gone after similar businesses in the past, and so have other states.

Known across the country for their aggressive telemarketing and mailers, extended car warranty providers have inspired countless jokes and memes displaying their ability to reach you, whether that be inside of a fortune cookie or atop a mountain peak. The industry is often fraught with deceptive trade practices and carries little goodwill among the public for the same reasons, making it a popular target for law enforcement and prosecutors.

From North Carolina to Connecticut to Ohio and South Dakota, you can find attorneys general announcing scam warnings, court settlements and forced business closures related to extended vehicle warranties.

In 2024, Weiser’s office sued and shut down a predatory car warranty company operating out of Colorado Springs.

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