Chevy’s Factory Warranty

The best and worst things about the Chevy factory coverage

byAustin Fracchia|
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As a top American manufacturer, Chevrolet (from General Motors) offers a basic yet comprehensive factory warranty coverage for all new vehicles, like the Chevy Corvette, Camaro, and its line of light-duty trucks. In fact, it has a similar factory warranty to other GM brand vehicles coming off of the assembly line. Since this automaker is so popular, you may find yourself looking at the current Chevy lineup for a new vehicle. If this is the case, these are all the details you need to know about the new vehicle limited warranty you will get.

Warranty In-Depth

All Chevy vehicles come with a factory warranty that is similar, if not the same, to other GM brand vehicles. Beyond that, the factory warranty also is very similar to the industry standard other automakers have adopted in terms of length and distance.

Bumper-to-Bumper Coverage

The Chevy bumper-to-bumper warranty lasts for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. This length in time and distance has become the industry standard, meaning Chevy has matched many of its competitors. This is shorter than what the standard used to be, but it is still long enough to cover a car through the first few years of use when issues from the factory are likely to happen.

The scope of the warranty includes nearly anything on the vehicle. Parts covered include things like the transfer case, turbocharger, supercharger (if installed), timing chain, water pump control systems, cylinder heads, oil pump, oil pan, flywheels, torque converter, drive axles, fuel pump, all-wheel drive systems, and diesel engines (on select models). You should check out the owner’s manual or dealership materials on new Chevrolet (current model year) vehicles for complete details on the warranty period and terms at the nearest Chevrolet dealership.

This "factory issue" aspect is important considering it is the only thing driving what the warranty does and does not cover. In other words, the warranty won't kick in if the issue comes from an accident, bad weather, maintenance needs, or general wear and tear. It only applies to issues created from factory defects, such as material and workmanship problems.

When it does kick in, the warranty covers almost everything in a vehicle, including important components under the hood, the powertrain, electrical systems, safety systems, and more. In fact, the only things that are traditionally not included are wear items that are designed or expected to degrade over time, like tires and brakes that will eventually need to be replaced.

Powertrain Coverage

Much like the bumper-to-bumper coverage, Chevy's powertrain warranty matches the industry standard for this coverage. This portion will last five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. Unlike the comprehensive coverage, however, the powertrain warranty is focused on the specific components that are most important for keeping the vehicle running. These parts include the engine, transmission, drivetrain, axles, and more.

Because the powertrain warranty lasts longer than the comprehensive coverage, these important parts will be covered for a few extra thousand miles and years. More importantly, this coverage tends to provide more value since replacing or repairing such parts can be more expensive than some of the things the bumper-to-bumper warranty covers. If you have engine problems, for example, many internal components can be difficult and cost-prohibitive to replace if you have to pay out-of-pocket.

Like the bumper-to-bumper limited warranty, the powertrain limited warranty is also limited in scope to only factory defects. Once again, this doesn't include any kind of incidental damage or normal wear and tear. Instead, the factory has to be at fault for the issue or breakdown that you experience. If the warranty kicks in, you can expect a Chevy dealer or authorized garage to make the repairs for free using OEM parts.

Additional Coverage

The main Chevy factory warranty lacks any traditional protection plans or service contracts that are common with third-party providers. In addition to the bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties, the Chevy limited factory warranty also comes with a few extra perks many competitors lack. 

Chief among them include a roadside assistance program that offers 24-hour coverage in case of breakdown. Services here include emergency towing, lockout service, flat tire changes, emergency fuel delivery, and on-the-road jump-starts.

Within the first year of owning a new Chevy vehicle, you’ll also receive a free maintenance visit at the Chevy dealership or authorized garage if you follow the factory-recommended maintenance schedule. Services here can include an oil and oil filter change, four-wheel tire rotation, and a 27-point vehicle inspection.

For electric and hybrid vehicles, there's also an electric and hybrid warranty that comes in addition to the standard bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverages. This warranty lasts for eight years or 100,000 miles and covers all electric-specific components like extended batteries and electric motors.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

What We Like

While Chevy has remained fairly conservative with its bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties, there are still a few things to actually like about the factory warranty. Specifically, the company remains competitive by sticking with the industry standard of three years and 36,000 miles for the bumper-to-bumper and five years and 100,000 miles for the powertrain coverage.

The extra coverage for electric and hybrid vehicles is also practically a necessity if you want to keep these unique vehicles running when an issue arises. Often, this type of warranty brings value as the vehicle ages since specific components like batteries begin to degrade in performance over time. Because the Chevy electric and hybrid warranty last for up to eight years and 100,000 miles, this is more than enough time to address these type of degradation issues.

Finally, the extra perks are a nice touch for new Chevy owners. For example, the roadside assistance program is great for getting yourself out of trouble while taking long vacations and road trips. The specific services the roadside assistance include, such as emergency towing and emergency fuel delivery, are good for getting yourself off of the road, getting the problem addressed, and getting back to your trip as quickly as possible.

What We Don’t Like

The main complaint we have with the Chevy factory warranty is one that we have for any automaker that adopts this industry-standard warranty term. Specifically, while three to five years and 36,000 to 60,000 miles may be technically long enough to offer good coverage, automakers can go longer without sacrificing much for their customers. We see this with other, often smaller players in the industry who offer five-year or 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranties and eight-year or 100,000-mile powertrain warranties.

There's also some room for improvement with the extra perks that Chevy offers customers. For example, while the free maintenance visit is a nice touch, especially for owners who don't know their way around a vehicle, it doesn't match what other competitors tend to offer. For example, a full year of free maintenance visits is common with some automakers. Instead of a single visit, you'll get the entire year (or often first 5,000 miles) free if you stick with the factory-recommended maintenance schedule. This is more valuable since it saves you more money and keeps the vehicle on the proper maintenance schedule.

Common Repair Costs

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

  • Chevy Caprice: Tire and Wheel Assembly Rotation and Balance ($137-$158)
  • Chevy G Series Van: Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement ($331-$410)
  • Chevy Monte Carlo: Spark Plug Wire Replacement ($84-$197)
  • Chevy Silverado 2500 HD: Backup Warning System Sensor Replacement ($228-$240)

FAQs

Q. What is covered by the Chevy factory warranty?

A. Between the bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties, nearly everything in the vehicle. Specifically, you will find most components except for normal wear items like the brakes and tires.

Q. Are alignment services covered by the factory warranty?

A. Technically, maintenance services like wheel alignment are not covered by the factory warranty. The free maintenance visit Chevy owners receive within the first year of the vehicle’s purchase, however, may include free wheel alignment and other adjustments.

Q. Why does the Chevy factory warranty looks so similar to the GMC, Cadillac, and Buick warranties?

A. This is because all of these brands are owned by the same company, GM. As a result, the company has made all of these factory warranties similar enough to give all of its customers near equal value, regardless of the brand and vehicle they choose.

Is Chevy’s Warranty Worth It?

Since Chevy is such a popular automaker, it is more than likely you may be considering a Chevy vehicle and the factory warranty you will naturally get. If this is the case, you can rest assured that the factory warranty does provide enough coverage to give you some peace of mind for the first few years of the vehicle's life. You just may find yourself, due to the short bumper-to-bumper warranty length, looking for an extended warranty sooner than you would with some other auto manufacturers.

More Information

Here are a few more resources you can use:

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