FCA US Reducing Powertrain Warranty To 60K Miles For 2016 Models

by Cameron Aubernon

Published: May 28th, 2015

fca us reducing powertrain warranty to 60k miles for 2016 models

Those shopping for a new Charger, 300, Wrangler or 1500 because of the powertrain warranty may need to pull the trigger soon due to an upcoming mileage cut.

According to the following statement, FCA US is cutting the warranty down from the current 5-year/100,000-mile guarantee to a new 5-year/60,000-mile term for the 2016 model year, Automotive News reports:

Following changes already made by competitors, FCA US is adjusting powertrain warranty coverage for 2016 model year vehicles to be more consistent with industry practices. For 2016MY, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram Truck vehicles with gasoline engines will be covered by a 5-year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty.

An FCA representative says the company’s 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty will remain unchanged, while diesels, Alfas and Fiats are not affected by the policy change; Fiat has its own 4-year/50,000-mile powertrain warranty.

The move follows General Motors’ decision in March 2015 to cut-down its 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty for its Chevrolet and GMC products to a 5-year/60,000-mile policy.

[Source: Alex L. Dykes/ The Truth About Cars]

#Chrysler #Dodge #FCAUS #Jeep #MY2016 #PolicyAdjustments #Powertrains #Ram #Warranties

Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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7 of 91 comments

Tjh8402 on May 28, 2015

I always thought the 100k powertrain warranties were marketing gimmicks more than anything. On a modern vehicle, especially one I'm buying new, I generally expect what the manufacturer would call the "powertrain" to last 100k miles without significant problems. Things like power equipment, AC compressors, infotainment systems, vehicle control computers, etc, would seem far more likely to do five figure damage to the wallet within the first 100k miles than the powertrain. FCA has very reasonable extended warranties available. 4 members of my family (myself, my parents, and one of my moms sisters) have bought 2 Town & Countrys and 2 Fiat 500s between us over the past 3 years and we all ended up going all the way with a lifetime bumper to bumper unlimited mileage warranty (my Abarth cost $3200 and I think my parents paid similar for their 500C and T&C).

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- Tom_M on May 28, 2015
  
  I alway thought the manufacturers had to put money aside for warranty claims before they happened. Maybe this is a way to put less money out and look like they are improving their bottom line. As an aside, the Lifetime Maxcare warranty from FCA is one of the best out there if you like betting against the quality of their vehicles. (I know I did!)
  
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- Flipper35 on May 29, 2015
  
  @Tom_M Our local dealer includes a lifetime warranty on the engine/drivetrain on all new cars and all used cars under 90k miles regardless of brand. The caveat being that they have to do all the service work but with new cars the first 5 years of service is no charge if you can wrangle them out of it. In case you are wondering, the prices are on par with other local dealers.
  
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- Tjh8402 on May 29, 2015
  
  @tom_M - I don't think it's an unreasonable bet on almost any vehicle. I had an Infiniti I30, that, while a very reliable vehicle that almost never left me stranded, still required costly repairs (even done at an independent shop). A new radiator, AC compressor, and set of 4 shocks each were $1k+ repairs on their own, and that was before the car had super high mileage (I ultimately had to the ac compressor a second time and the shocks a second time). Those are just the big ticket items. never mind the starter, 02 sensor, knock sensor, etc. @flipper35 - a couple local Mazda dealers offer what they claim is a lifetime nationwide recongized powertrain warranty. Again, to me making powertrain only is a bit of a cop out. I basically assume that a warranty like this means dealer service for the life of the car. When my car is needing an oil leak fixed at 150k miles that's gonna cost a few grand, I need my dealer to back me up when FCA inevitably tries to come up with some excuse to void the warranty. In my case, purchasing the warranty helped me negotiate a better selling price on the car, since I bought it from my local dealer, and they know they are gonna make $ for years on me in the service department.
  
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Jimmyy on May 28, 2015

This must be a financial decision. There must be a significant number of costly warranty claims after the 60K mileage mark the company is hoping to stop paying for. It is that simple. Message ... do not buy the vehcles.

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Pbwe_ on May 29, 2015

When I bought a new VW Golf in 2002, unbeknownst to me, the model year 2001 100K drive train warranty was cut to 60K. My normally driven auto transmission grenaded during a simple parking lot maneuver at 67K mi.. I interpret that something happened during manufacture, and rather than fixing it, they did an engineering and accounting calculation that rationalized reducing the warranty. Buyers beware.

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Shaker on May 29, 2015

So, what about rental cars that come up for sale? I just browsed at Hertz, and they claimed that many of their cars for sale were "still under factory warranty", which (for cars with >36k) would mean the factory powertrain warranty. I speculate that brands that have a large rental-fleet footprint are at a greater risk of claims against the powertrain warranty.

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