Chrysler to Offer *Lifetime* Warranty on New Vehicles

[YSSMAN]

​

* The New Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty – the first from an OEM and the longest in the industry – is a statement of confidence in the reliability of Chrysler products
* Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair covered powertrain components – engine, transmission and drive system
* Provides worry-free ownership for new Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge owners


Auburn Hills, Mich., Jul 26, 2007 - Chrysler today announced that the Company would extend its powertrain warranty from the 3-year/36,000-mile Basic Limited Warranty to a new Lifetime Powertrain Warranty. The new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty applies to most new Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles purchased from dealer inventory and delivered on or after July 26, 2007.

The Lifetime Powertrain Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair covered powertrain components – engine, transmission and drive system. The new powertrain warranty is limited to the first registered owner or retail lessee. Customers should contact dealers for details on vehicle selection.

"This new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty is a statement of confidence to our customers to the reliability of their powertrain. It's peace-of-mind reassurance for as long as they own the vehicle," said Steven Landry, Executive Vice President – North America, Sales and Marketing, Service and Parts, Chrysler Group.

To continue warranty coverage, the owner must have a powertrain inspection performed by an authorized Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealer once every 5 years. This inspection will be performed at no charge. The inspection must be made within 60 days of each 5-year anniversary of the warranty start date of the vehicle.

Landry added, "The new Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty underscores our focus on quality and customer satisfaction. It demonstrates our commitment to customers and the confidence we have in our ability to produce quality, reliable and durable vehicles. That's why we put 'lifetime' on it."

Customers may visit Chrysler.com, Jeep.com and Dodge.com for more information. A warranty promotion – print, radio, television and Internet – begins Friday, July 27.

Good news? I guess it depends on how you look at it. I've never, personally, been a friend to Chrysler in these modern times, not only because their products are quite often so shoddy, but also because the reliability had been so horrible by comparison to Ford or GM.

But, this does show confidence in the market, and I'd guess that it would draw some people in. If you could live with a Chrysler product every day (A Dodge Avenger wouldn't be horrible...) and thusly could do what my Mother did, and drive the same car for 13 years, it may not be a bad deal.

 

[Jim Prower]

The catch is that you have to bring it in for a "Checkup" every five years. If you're diligent, enough, sure, but do you think Mopar's gonna remind you?

I'm at least HOPING they can keep this promise...it's a rather tall one.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its a VERY tall promise on some of the parts on these vehicles, particularly the transmissions. Quite honestly, I've been saying for a long time that if Chrysler would fix them, I'd nearly consider buying one, and this would be a good case in which I would consider doing so... Problem is, guaranteeing just a few parts, while making me feel a bit better over my purchase, still doesn't fix everything.

But, that being said, I could go out today (well, next week) and finance a Dodge Caliber R/T for an exceedingly long amount of time for a stupidly low price, have the warranty last for as long as I own the car (probably six or seven years), and I wouldn't have to pay for any of the major failures that would be likely to happen with the car.

A good deal? I'd say so, particularly when people in this state like to buy cars brand-new and drive them, literally, into the ground, and start all over again. If the price is right, I think they could convince quite a few people to go MOPAR once again...

 

[V1P3R]

Here's to hoping they arn't shooting themselves in the foot... Then again I haven't liked them since merc killed them so if they go they go. Oh well.

 

[Eric.]

Now would be a nice time to slip out the door in a Charger R/T, maybe even with AWD for some extra driveline strain.

I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention lately, but do the newer cars (Caliber, 300, Charger, etc) have any common reliability problems?

 

[Gil]

I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention lately, but do the newer cars (Caliber, 300, Charger, etc) have any common reliability problems?

They're Chryslers!
Hell, if they are gonna fix any drivetrain for the lifetime of the car, I might consider going Mopar again. Though my luck with my mini van was so bad that I was actually happy when my son wrecked it.
Though I do like the styling of the now highly generic PT/GT Cruiser.

 

[Jim Prower]

I never liked Chrysler's FWD automatics, either. I drove two vehicles with 3-speed units...they felt like paper compared to the 3-speed Toyota in my '88 Nova. I wasn't too impressed with a 4-speed minivan tranny, either. How could the company that built the Torqflite 727, a bulletproof automatic, build such flimsy FWD transaxles?

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> I think that is a good news, sorta.

-> But, will they still offer it when the Challenger is released? And I kinda like the new Cherokee *AHEM* I mean the new Liberty, and that wagon named Magnum SRT-8.

 

[Eric.]

There is probably some fine print that rules out the SRT models since they are almost guaranteed to be driven hard most of the time.

 

[Philly]

This kind of makes me want to go out and get a Chrysler and drive it as hard as possible all the time.

This does increase the appeal of a Charger or a few other vehicles, as long as there are no vehicle restrictions.

 

[a6m5]

Great news! I still wouldn't buy a Dodge, but it might force other companies to upgrade their warranty.

 

[Philly]

Great news! I still wouldn't buy a Dodge, but it might force other companies to upgrade their warranty.

That sounds like how the car market works. Somebody will do something new and everyone else will follow. I would expect to see this from Hyundai of Kia (and maybe a Japanese brand or two) in the next few years. That isn't anything to get excited over though.

 

[a6m5]

That sounds like how the car market works. Somebody will do something new and everyone else will follow. I would expect to see this from Hyundai of Kia (and maybe a Japanese brand or two) in the next few years. That isn't anything to get excited over though.

Last time, wasn't it Hyundai that started the 10-year warranty, and some companies copied or upgraded their own warranty to 5-years or so?

Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, those guys, I don't care too much for, but if companies like Ford, or Mitsubishi extended their warranty, I'd be very interested.

 

[Philly]

Last time, wasn't it Hyundai that started the 10-year warranty, and some companies copied or upgraded their own warranty to 5-years or so?

Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, those guys, I don't care too much for, but if companies like Ford, or Mitsubishi extended their warranty, I'd be very interested.

That's why I'm thinking Kia ect. will copy Chrysler on this one. That didn't seem to have too big of an impact on the car market. I don't see any of the established brands (Ford, BMW, the like) doing much to their warranties. These companies don't need the gimmicks to sell their cars, like the newer brands do.

 

[YSSMAN]

You can pretty much get into a well-equipped Caliber for less than $250 a month for a 72 month finance deal, and assuming insurance wouldn't be much more than $200 a month on the car, combined with the free maintenance, it wouldn't be too bad of a deal.

...That is, if you aren't a lease whore like I'll probably be...

But, this isn't enough to lure me in just yet. They need to make their cars just a touch more appealing first...

 

[Philly]

But, this isn't enough to lure me in just yet. They need to make their cars just a touch more appealing first...

I think they realize that their cars suck, and they are doing this to boost brand appeal. If this is the reaction of all of us here, imagine what it will do for the public. They might actually fall for it. It seems like a few of us here are very close to that point.

Somehow, I think this might help them out a lot, or they will be paying for it big time a few years down the road.

 

[niky]

I'm surprised no one has asked the question... Lifetime of the car? Or Lifetime of Chrysler? One may be much shorter than the other...










j/k... but who knows?

 

[Pupik]

It's limited to the original owner, curiously, but not surprisingly so.

To continue warranty coverage, the owner must have a powertrain inspection performed by an authorized Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealer once every 5 years. This inspection will be performed at no charge.

That's the surprising part. You'd figure they'd make such that if you have all your work done at their service centers, to get that sort of promised coverage.

I didn't hesitate to spend the extra $500 at the table to extend the Neon to 7/70, since 3/36 was fairly weak for powertrain coverage in this day and age. It wasn't the powertrain that gave up though, it was the hundreds of retainers, clips, and other parts that shook themselves to death over several years, which made it worthwhile.

This is a good way for Chrysler, et al to keep customers loyal and perhaps even build families of a single brand.

 

[1X83Z]

Smart business. Current thought dictates you need to spend nine times more to get a new customer than to keep a current one. And Chrysler has a lot of new customers to get. They're obviously unwilling to spend the nine times more on the product, so it's good to see they're doing it elsewhere. Kudos and another reason why Chrysler is my favorite domestic brand.

 

[foamy_302]

more info on the warranty can be found here
http://www.allpar.com/weblogs/2007/07/27/the-chrysler-lifetime-warranty/