The Powertrain Warranty: What It Is and Why You Need It

So you’re shopping for a used vehicle, and there are a lot of factors you need to consider, like if you should buy used or Certified Pre-Owned. We would recommend most people try to buy a vehicle that is Certified Pre-Owned because they come with a thorough inspection for quality and a host of benefits. Any certified Ford for sale is going to come with warranties like a comprehensive limited warranty and a powertrain limited warranty.

The comprehensive limited warranty is pretty self-explanatory; it covers all aspects of your vehicle that go wrong due to manufacturer error. However, this warranty does not cover regular wear and tear items. The powertrain limited warranty covers the specific components of your vehicle that create power, deliver it throughout the car, and make your vehicle move. So think transmission, engine, driveshaft, and differentials. If it’s got anything to do with enabling your vehicle to move forwards or backward, it’s part of the powertrain.

The comprehensive limited warranty provides you with bumper-to-bumper coverage, which is pretty easy to remember, but they usually only cover a year or two. The powertrain limited warranty is a little more detailed, but it’s also the warranty you will have the longest, so understanding the nuances is important. That’s why we have put together a guide to understanding what is covered by the powertrain limited warranty and how it works.

What Does a Powertrain Limited Warranty Cover?

As stated in the intro, your powertrain is anything involved in powering and moving the car. This includes the engine, transmission, and parts that deliver power to the wheels. Within engine coverage, you’ll likely find that the transfer case, differentials, and driveshaft are also covered. All of these parts are involved in energy generation and transfer. The engine generates power which is then sent to the transmission, which then transfers that energy to the gear ratios to create what you know as torque. Then the driveshaft sends power to the wheels, which gets the car moving.

You probably assume that this warranty covers all of the big engine system parts, and you’d be correct, but did you know it also covers the smaller engine parts like seals and gaskets? It also covers parts like your oil pan, manifold bolts, and covers for parts like the timing chain and valves. If it is part of the system that controls your vehicle, you are likely to find it covered by the powertrain warranty.

What Does the Powertrain Limited Warranty Not Cover?

When something goes wrong with a vehicle, ask yourself if you’d be able to drive the car without it. We mean that in a very basic way: would you be able to get from point A to point B without it? If the answer is yes, then it’s probably not covered. So these will be things like the windows, the air conditioning system, the sound system, and the upholstery. A car can still do its primary job of transporting passengers without these elements, so they are not part of the powertrain limited warranty.

The good news is that the things that a powertrain does not cover usually cost pennies in comparison to what the drivetrain costs. You can still use the car without these things, so you aren’t necessarily in a rush to fix the ripped seats or the sound system. You have time to shop around and compare prices, but living without these things for a while doesn’t bring your driving to a halt, even if it does create some discomfort.

Why Do You Need a Powertrain Limited Warranty?

The elements that are covered in a powertrain are some of the most expensive to repair or replace. Some of these can run you anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Being on the hook for paying for those could mean you owe more to fix the car than the entire vehicle is worth. The powertrain is the most valuable part of your vehicle, and paying for it yourself could be financially devastating. So having a powertrain warranty gives drivers peace of mind that, if something goes wrong with the core components of their car, they won’t be left bankrupt or carless.

How Does the Powertrain Limited Warranty Work?

If something goes wrong with one of the components covered by the warranty, then you can just bring your car to our service center to have us repair it at no cost to you. It is worth noting that most of these warranties do not cover damage caused by factors that your regular car insurance would. So that includes damage caused by collisions, accidents, vandalism, fire, or flooding. The powertrain warranty is there in case something goes wrong with the vehicle before it reasonably should from regular use (determined by standards set by the manufacturer). The warranty kicks in if pre-existing issues appear in the powertrain that were not caused by any accident or behavior of your own. That’s what makes them especially nice to have on used cars since drivers often wonder if there are any problems hiding beneath the hood.

How Long Does the Powertrain Limited Warranty Last?

Ford offers a powertrain limited warranty on all of its Gold Certified models. This warranty lasts for seven years/100,000 miles from the original sale date. While this is a guarantee of the Gold Certified vehicles, it is also possible to find a regular used vehicle that still has some of the warranty period left, but that will depend on mileage and age, so be sure to ask us about it. Luckily, with most cars, if there are major powertrain issues, they will show up within that warranty time.

Understand the Nuances

It’s always important to know exactly what your warranty covers. We’ve already said it, but your powertrain limited warranty is not going to cover any components that are caused by expected regular wear and tear, like brake pads. So just because you have a powertrain warranty does not mean you’ll never pay to replace or fix something on your vehicle.

Do not purchase a vehicle until you have a full understanding of the warranties. There will still be plenty of other things you’ll need to pay for over the years, such as regular services like oil changes, tire rotations, and filter changes. Make sure that you are financially prepared for all of the costs associated with owning a vehicle. The powertrain limited warranty is a great asset, but it’s no replacement for taking proper care of your vehicle. Our team will be happy to go over your warranty coverage and terms so you can have a full understanding of what this coverage does for you.

Good Warranty Coverage Is Essential

As you’ve probably learned by now, the powertrain limited warranty is pretty much essential to have if you own a vehicle, especially a pre-owned model. Paying to fix or replace parts of the powertrain can be so expensive that it would make more sense to simply sell the car, but at that point, you wouldn’t be able to sell it for much if that powertrain wasn’t working. For an individual, fixing the powertrain can be financially devastating, which is why good warranty coverage is so important.

So, when you are ready to get your next car, we would suggest going for a Certified Pre-Owned Ford model so you can get the extra protection provided by the warranties. While you might find yourself paying a little bit more for a certified model than you would for the same model that’s not certified, the difference isn’t worth the worry and hassle if something goes wrong. If you ever have an issue with your car that falls under the warranty, you can simply bring it to us, and we will handle everything from the repair to having the manufacturer cover the cost.