Checking out the Factory Toyota Warranty

With that said, the company still has a standard factory warranty for all new vehicle purchases. Its coverage is comparable to other automakers, but there are a few things you should know before buying a Toyota new vehicle.

Toyota’s overall warranty approach is comparable to its competitors in terms of length and parts coverage, meaning you won’t get any extra-big advantage with the warranty plan. With that said, there are a few extra perks Toyota throws into the mix to entice new customers on the warranty front. 

Lasting three years or 36,000 miles, Toyota’s comprehensive basic coverage is short but lengthy in terms of the parts that it covers. This is a standard bumper-to-bumper warranty, meaning there isn’t anything unique that stands out in comparison to Toyota’s competitors.

The warranty covers nearly everything on a vehicle that can go wrong. The catch with this coverage, however, is that it’s only meant for factory-related issues. If something is wrong with a part’s installation or materials, for example, then the warranty will kick in for a free repair. 

This leaves out major issues related to incidents or regular maintenance, which is often the case with most factory warranties. Toyota does offer a little more for maintenance, however, in the form of its no-cost maintenance plan, to offset the comprehensive coverage limitation.

For most factory warranties, the powertrain coverage is the portion that really comes in handy when covering unexpected costs. The same is true for the Toyota factory warranty where the powertrain coverage lasts for five years or 60,000 miles.

This coverage differs from the bumper-to-bumper portion in that it’s more limited in the number of parts it covers. The powertrain coverage is focused specifically on the drivetrain, transmission, and engine components (like rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive systems, transaxles, and more) that allow the vehicle to run on a daily basis without issue. 

Specifically, these three systems include complicated and often pricey parts that typically require a professional to replace. Specialized parts like cylinder blocks, electric fuel pumps, oil pumps, clutches, transfer cases, axle shafts, and more are all covered with this portion of the factory warranty. 

The additional perks you get with Toyota are limited compared to a typical extended warranty or auto repair insurance, but there are a couple of things to enjoy in terms of cutting costs on expensive or routine work when you buy a new Toyota vehicle. 

For the company’s extensive hybrid line, it offers an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty that covers hybrid-related components in vehicles like the Prius and Camry/Corolla hybrid drivetrains. This portion comes in handy since the hybrid drivetrains have more specialized parts and systems that can potentially develop issues within the first few years of the vehicle’s service life.

For all vehicles, the company’s no-cost maintenance plan, ToyotaCare, covers the normal factory schedule of maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles. Under this plan, the company will cover all factory-scheduled services for free for regular maintenance items. The coverage also comes with free 24-hour roadside assistance (i.e. towing to a nearby Toyota dealership) that lasts for two years and unlimited miles.  

There is also an anti-perforation coverage for issues like corrosion perforation of sheet metal on the vehicle’s exterior.

Although Toyota doesn’t stand out in terms of its basic comprehensive and powertrain warranties, there are a few things we like over other automakers. Specifically, these things either apply to Toyota’s unique model lineup or offer extra perks that drivers with other vehicles don’t enjoy. 

The hybrid coverage, for example, is something that is unique and necessary for Toyota’s extensive hybrid offerings. While hybrid technology has reached the point of reliability over the course of a couple hundred thousand miles, the warranty offers extra peace of mind.

The no-cost maintenance plan is where the real perks are to be had for all Toyota customers. While it’s short, the two years where factory services are covered will lighten the overall impact on the wallet. This is also a good way to keep a vehicle on a regular maintenance schedule with company technicians and OEM parts. 

For a company that has such a notable reputation for reliable vehicles, it’s unfortunate that Toyota doesn’t offer a longer factory warranty overall. Many Toyota vehicles have been known to reach 300,000 or 400,000 miles on the engine with regular maintenance, so it would be nice for any Toyota owner who wants to keep their vehicle for a long time to have the warranty coverage.

Instead, the comprehensive coverage only matches the duration of other major manufacturers. While some companies offer five-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranties, Toyota’s standard, shorter coverage doesn’t leave much room for factory error after the short warranty lifespan has ended. However, this shouldn’t have to concern you so much, given there is always a solution. For example, after the factory warranty expires you can always get your vehicle covered with an aftermarket warranty plan such as CarChex or some other.

We’d also like to see the no-cost maintenance plan to be longer to keep maintenance costs decreased. After all, if a Toyota can run for hundreds of thousands of miles with proper maintenance, it would be nice to incentivize loyal Toyota owners to do so with the extended program.

Some of the most common issues and repair costs with Toyota vehicles:

A. Like the Toyota certified used vehicle warranty, everything is included in the warranty except for normal wear items. This includes things that wear over time like brakes. 

A. The tires are generally not covered by the factory warranty. Some dealerships offer an additional tire-only coverage option, but this will cost more money upfront.

For the no-cost maintenance alone, the Toyota factory warranty actually offers some value to new vehicle owners. Better still, as a factory warranty, the cost of the coverage is included within the price of the new vehicle. So the cost isn’t much of a factor for the service.

Overall, the factory warranty does give you the same level of coverage as most other automakers today, so it’s generally “good enough” for most driving situations. Combined with Toyota’s design and build a reputation, it’s hard to go wrong with this standard coverage. 

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