Types of Warranties
The whole premise for lemon laws is that manufacturers have to make good on their warranties by standing behind their product.
Nearly everything today carries a warranty—from weed whackers to coffee bean grinders. We hardly pay attention to them unless the warrantied item is a vehicle that potentially will cost an arm and a leg to repair.
In legal terms, a warranty is an assurance by the seller of property that the goods are as represented or will be as promised.
One of our responsibilities as car owners is to actually read through our new car warranty and follow its guidelines in terms of maintenance, proper operation and authorized repair shops for warrantied repairs. The auto makers are fairly liberal in the terms of these guarantees, ranging from a low of 3 years/36,000 miles to 5 years/50,000 on the basic warranty to 3 years/36,000 up to 10 years/100,000 miles on the drivetrain warranties.
There are four basic types of vehicle warranties:
- Basic Warranties(bumper to bumper) are the terms to repair a vehicle for a specific time and/or mileage period. All factory (as opposed to aftermarket add-ons and upgrades) parts and some installed by dealers are covered for defects and workmanship. Other items like tires, batteries and wiper blades are usually not covered under a basic warranty. These components are designed to wear out with use, but some may carry their own warranty.
- Powertrain Warrantiesare separate guarantees, usually, but not always, over longer time period and extended mileage range from the basic warranty. These warranties cover major components like the engine, transmission and driveshafts.
- Federal Emissions Warranties are based on federal regulations and cover vehicles under Emission Defect Warranties and Emissions Performance Warranties. The defect warranty covers catalytic converters and electronic emissions controls. The time period varies, depending on the state.
- Corrosion Warranties provide coverage for rust-through perforation on sheet metal for a specific amount of time, usually up to 6 years or 100,000 miles. This warranty does not cover surface corrosion from scratches or nicks
For the specific terms on your vehicle’s warranties, check your owners manual.
If you suspect your vehicle is a lemon, contact us using the form on the right and we’ll help you locate a lemon lawyer.
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