The In’s and Out’s of the Chrysler Warranty | Autance

What IS Included

The main warranty from Chrysler comes in the form of the bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty coverages. Together, the warranties cover almost everything on a vehicle that may break due to a factory defect.

Bumper-to-Bumper

The bulk of the Chrysler warranty comes in the form of the three-year/36,000-mile comprehensive warranty that is standard for all recent model years. The basic limited warranty covers nearly everything on a vehicle, from bumper to bumper (hence the name). As a result, this is the primary warranty that will be in effect as you drive a new vehicle for the first few years.

The main components included in this warranty include interior and exterior parts that can suffer from a defect over time. In addition to the main drive system components, you’ll find coverage for interior systems and parts like the navigation, AC/heater, and more. The factory warranty uses genuine Mopar part replacements covered under the Mopar vehicle protection plan.

Powertrain

For powertrain components that fail, Chrysler includes a powertrain warranty that targets the most important parts of a vehicle. Lasting five years or 60,000 miles, the powertrain coverage lasts longer than the comprehensive warranty, meaning it will be around as the miles start to tick up on the vehicle’s odometer before you may need to think about an extended warranty. 

Like the bumper-to-bumper coverage, the powertrain warranty uses Mopar parts for replacements. Since many of these parts are found at any Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealership (and are used on other brand setups like Ram vehicles), this means replacement parts tend to come quickly if they aren’t in stock at the local dealer or repair facility. 

Extras

The main extra perks of the Chrysler factory warranty is a roadside assistance program that lasts for five years or 60,000 miles, matching the length of the powertrain warranty. Under this assistance program, you’ll find basic services like free towing, jump-starts, flat tire repair (using the vehicle’s spare tire), and other things that come in handy during an emergency. 

What’s NOT Included

The Chrysler warranty has a few limitations you won’t necessarily find in the owner’s manual or website literature about the coverage. 

Incidental Damage

Factory warranties are great for the extra peace of mind they offer when it comes to paying for necessary repairs, but they have their limits. This is particularly true for the Chrysler factory warranty since damage not caused by factory defects isn’t covered. 

Factory defects are within the automaker’s control. If a water pump isn’t installed properly, for example, this is an issue that the factory will address since it should have caught the mistake. Damage from accidents, wear and tear, or vandalism, however, fall outside of the automaker’s control and aren’t covered.

Maintenance Costs

If you want to save some money on maintenance and wear item replacements, you’ll need to look elsewhere outside of the factory warranty. Once again, since the warranty is limited to factory defects only, it won’t pay for the routine services that keep a vehicle running on a daily basis. Instead, you will need a third-party extended warranty or will have to pay out-of-pocket to foot these expenses. 

The Good

There is a lot to like about the Chrysler warranty. While it doesn’t offer much in terms of extra perks or longer service terms than other manufacturers, it does offer enough to keep vehicle owners protected from major costs, especially when you think about the potential cost of all part replacements that may be necessary if the vehicle has several defects among its major components.

The main pluses of the warranty plan are the comprehensive and powertrain coverages. While these are standard, they still do a good job keeping the vehicle protected from the types of problems it’s most likely to encounter during the coverage period. 

Outside of the primary coverage, you may also find some use with the roadside assistance program. The free towing and emergency services can help if you are a frequent road traveler. 

The Bad

The main limitations of the Chrysler warranty actually occupy the same space as the things we like about the factory warranty. Specifically, the comprehensive and powertrain warranties, while doing a good job of covering a vehicle’s primary systems, are too short to be extremely useful when problems can develop past the three- and five-year marks as the vehicle ages. 

The limited roadside assistance length shares the same drawback, but it’s perhaps even more limited by the factory defect only issue. In other words, you shouldn’t expect to need roadside assistance, especially when roadside issues will more likely be caused by accidents, bad weather, or the environment instead of factory defects.

Takeaway Value

You’ll likely find that the Chrysler warranty doesn’t offer much unique value like a third-party service contract, but it does enough to offer some extra peace of mind. More importantly, it will kick in whenever there is a factory defect, so that alone can make it worth it.