Chrysler Offers Lifetime Powertrain Warranty
July 26, 2007
Chrysler was expected to announce this morning that it will offer a lifetime powertrain warranty on vehicles sold beginning today.
Believed to be the first of its kind in the industry, the warranty applies to the original owner of the vehicle and is not transferable.
The warranty covers virtually all new Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models, with a few exceptions, sold beginning today. It does not cover rental cars and special fleet vehicles, like for police and fire departments.
A no-charge inspection is required every five years, within 60 days of the vehicle's every five-year anniversary.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 7:45 AM under Chrysler , News | Comments (7) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Being a former warranty administrator at a BMW and later an Acura dealership, this is really interesting news! Chrysler must have a *lot* of confidence in their powertrains. I guess I should start saving up for a 2020 Dodge Viper now. It will also be interesting to see how things pan out with the platforms Chrysler shares with Mitsubishi (e.g., Lancer, Outlander).
The sad thing is I now foresee them marketing the new powertrain warranty in a misleading way just like GM has been trumpeting it's 5-year/100,000-mile warranty.
I can see it now. John Doe walks into the service department of his Dodge, Chrysler, or Jeep dealership saying his vehicle's cupholder is broken. The service advisor says, "Sir, that's not covered under warranty." Mr. Doe says, "I thought this car has a lifetime warranty." Service advisor replies, "No, sir. The lifetime warranty only applies to the vehicle's powertrain." Mr. Doe says, "Aw nuts (or other choice word here)!"
Posted by: SubyTrojan | July 26, 2007 at 10:46 AM
Will this change the public's perception of Chrysler? I highly doubt it because a lot of the power train warranties in the market place are very good already. I see this new warranty attracting a lot of price conscious buyers that can't typically afford a new car every 5 years. 5 years is the average for when buyers trade in their car for something new.
However, I see it forcing manufacturers to engineer more reliable products thus giving the public even better vehicles in the future.
Posted by: Mikey | July 26, 2007 at 7:44 PM
I was thinking to myself that their new value-priced minivans combined with this new powertrain warranty would be a killer purchase for families with kids:
Drive the car for five years and then keep it in the family and let the kids drive the beater van while they drive it into the ground. Chrysler then picks up any powertrain repair tabs.
BUT:
The reason this is warranty is such a gimmick is that Chrysler's interiors don't stand up for more than 5 years...
Latest example I saw was the dilapidated Chrysler minivan swivel chairs / card table at the NY auto show: The table and chairs on display which people sat on for about two days were beat up badly. They stand no chance of lasting 5 years with kids beating on them.
Posted by: ThriftyTechie | July 27, 2007 at 3:34 PM
I find this new lifetime powertrain coverage interesting for another reason: Remember back in 2004 and 2005 when Chrysler was offering a 7-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty to restore consumer confidence in Dodge/Chrysler vehicles? And then remember how in 2006, the company quietly reverted to 3-year/36K-mile coverage? If I owned an '06 or '07 Chrysler product, I think I'd be just a bit perturbed by this news.
Posted by: Erin Riches | August 03, 2007 at 2:59 PM
Just noticed I had a typo above. It should have said GM has been trumpeting "its" powertrain warranty.
I wonder what the reaction has been of those owners Erin referred to above. Have there been any opinions voiced in the media yet by those people?
Posted by: SubyTrojan | August 06, 2007 at 10:30 AM
What's 5 years annual inspection thing? just curious!
Posted by: virginian | October 17, 2007 at 11:20 AM
What's 5 years annual inspection thing? just curious!
Posted by: virginian | October 17, 2007 at 11:21 AM