Ram is lengthening powertrain warranty as truck owners hold on longer

Miami Herald

8 hours ago

Ram will extend the powertrain warranty available on most 2026 models to last 10 years or 100,000 miles - a level of truck coverage the brand says will be America's best.
CEO Tim Kuniskis said it's a needed update as truck buyers increasingly opt for extended financing terms - almost 80% of new truck loans exceed five years - and hold onto their vehicles longer. The average age of light trucks in the United States last year was nearly 12 years, and 12.6 years for all vehicles, according to S&P Global Mobility.
"They keep it for 12 years because everything's gotten more expensive," Kuniskis said.
But even as people spend more money on big pickups and drive them longer, he said, the warranty length never changed: "You're not investing more money to protect them."
Ram's warranty announcement is part of a flurry of product and partnership reveals from the Stellantis NV brand, which wants to generate consumer excitement and claw back market share after sales fell 19% last year. The truck maker's current powertrain warranty runs five years or 60,000 miles; its bumper-to-bumper warranty runs three years or 36,000 miles.
The longer limited powertrain warranty will apply to all of Ram's 2026 models sold in the United States except its electric ProMaster van. It covers the engine, transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, differentials and axles. Fleet purchases aren't included.
Competing trucks from Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. offer powertrain coverage that runs five years or 60,000 miles.
The longer Ram warranty comes as both Ford and GM trucks have recently faced some high-profile problems and recalls regarding their powertrains. Federal regulators are scrutinizing nearly 1.3 million older F-150 pickups over transmission issues reported by dozens of consumers, for example, while GM is dealing with a recall of nearly 600,000 trucks and SUVs due to potential failure of their V-8 engines.
Stephanie Brinley, an auto analyst with S&P Global Mobility, said it's too early to say if the new powertrain coverage can significantly boost sales for Ram, "but offering longer warranties has been helpful for some brands in the past." It can give some customers a reason to stick with the brand, she added in an email, while giving Ram "another talking point" to increase consideration of its trucks.
The new warranty is the latest of several announcements from Ram, which earlier this month said it was bringing a Hemi engine back to its 1500 pickups and planning to return after a long hiatus to NASCAR's truck series. This week, the brand launched a new ad campaign and an updated tagline, "Nothing Stops Ram." Kuniskis has said Ram will make about 25 product announcements over the next 18 months.
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