A vehicle warranty is a guarantee from a dealer or a manufacturer that they will cover specified problems within a specific period of time or a specific number of miles under certain conditions.
Warranty coverage is different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Most manufacturers offer basic, powertrain, corrosion, roadside assistance and emission warranties with different time and/or mileage limit(s).
- Basic: The basic warranty almost covers everything except components which are subject to wear and tear, such as oil filters, wiper blades, fluids, belts, etc. Some components such as batteries, tires, and sound equipment may have their own warranties issued by their manufacturers. The average of time and mileage limits usually is 4 years or 50,000 miles.
- Powertrain: This warranty covers most of the components that make the vehicle move, such as the engine, transmission and drivetrain. It usually covers longer periods than basic warranty. The typical coverage is from 4 years/50,000 miles up to 10 years/100,000 miles.
- Corrosion: A corrosion warranty covers rust and perforation on the metal body of the vehicle. It covers corrosion holes on the body, not minor surface rust. The typical corrosion warranty lasts for 6 years or 100,000 miles.
- Roadside Assistance: Roadside assistance warranty offers emergency assistance such as towing, jump starting, changing a flat tire, fuel and fluid delivery, pulling out a vehicle that is stuck in snow or helping people who are locked out of their vehicles. The average coverage usually is 5 years or 100,000 miles.
- Emission: The emission warranty is required by federal government to protect vehicle owner from the parts and labor cost of repairs for certain emission related failures that result from manufacturer defects in materials and workmanship. By federal law, emission warranty must be covered for five years or 50,000 miles.
- Where do I find my vehicle warranty information?
- You can find warranty information in the back of your owner's manuals or the warranty booklet. You may also find it at manufacturer's website.
- Do I have to have my vehicle serviced at its dealership to keep the warranty?
- According to a federal law called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, you can have your car serviced by any competent independent service station, shop or garage and still keep its warranty. In addition, You are also protected from having to use original equipment brand parts. You can use any brand-name, quality parts. However, you must follow the recommended schedule of maintenance for your car to ensure that the warranty will be honored. Keep records of all services performed on your car service receipts should list the date, odometer reading, make, model, Vihicle Identification Number and brand names of all parts used.
- Is my car's warranty transferable?
- Some manufacturer's warranty can be transferred to another purchaser. The following table gives some manufacturers' warranty coverage for model year 2009. For updated information, see the manufacturer's website.
Make Basic Powertrain Corrosion Roadside Assistance Transferable Years Miles Years Miles Years Miles Years Miles Acura 4 50,000 6 70,000 5 Unlimited 4 50,000 Yes Aston Martin 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 10 Unlimited Only in Britain and Mainland Europe No Audi 4 50,000 4 50,000 12 Unlimited 4 50,000 No Bentley 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited No BMW 4 50,000 4 50,000 12 Unlimited 4 Unlimited Yes Buick 4 50,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Cadillac 4 50,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Chevrolet 3 36,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Chrysler 3 36,000 Unlimited 5 100,000 3 36,000 No Dodge 3 36,000 Unlimited 5 100,000 3 36,000 No Ferrari 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited Yes Ford 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited 5 60,000 Yes GMC 3 36,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Honda 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited Yes Hummer 4 50,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Hyundai 5 60,000 10 100,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited No Infiniti 4 60,000 6 70,000 7 Unlimited 4 Unlimited Yes Isuzu 3 50,000 7 75,000 6 100,000 7 75,000 Family Only Jaguar 4 50,000 4 50,000 6 Unlimited 4 50,000 yes Jeep 3 36,000 Unlimited 5 100,000 3 36,000 No Kia 5 60,000 10 100,000 5 100,000 5 60,000 No Lamborghini 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited 3 Unlimited Yes Land Rover 4 50,000 4 50,000 Unlimited 4 50,000 Yes Lexus 4 50,000 6 70,000 6 Unlimited 4 Unlimited Yes Lincoln 4 50,000 6 70,000 5 Unlimited 6 70,000 Yes Lotus 3 36,000 3 36,000 8 Unlimited Unlimited Yes Maserati 4 50,000 4 50,000 4 50,000 4 50,000 Yes Maybach 4 50,000 4 50,000 4 50,000 Unlimited No Mazda 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited 3 36,000 Yes Mercedes-Benz 4 50,000 4 50,000 4 50,000 Unlimited No Mercury 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited 5 60,000 Yes Mini 4 50,000 4 50,000 12 Unlimited 4 50,000 Yes Mitsubishi 5 60,000 10 100,000 7 100,000 5 Unlimited No Nissan 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited 3 36,000 Yes Pontiac 3 36,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Porsche 4 50,000 4 50,000 10 Unlimited 4 50,000 No Saab
9-5, 9-7x4 50,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Saab
9-3, 9-3 Convertible4 50,000 5 100,000 10 Unlimited 5 100,000 Yes Saturn 3 36,000 5 100,000 6 100,000 5 100,000 Yes Scion 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited Yes Subaru 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited 3 36,000 Yes Suzuki 3 36,000 7 100,000 3 Unlimited 3 36,000 Yes Toyota 3 36,000 5 60,000 5 Unlimited Yes Volkswagen 3 36,000 5 60,000 12 Unlimited 3 36,000 Yes Volvo 4 50,000 4 50,000 12 Unlimited 4 Unlimited
