If you rack up the miles each year, GM’s powertrain warranty will lose some of its luster. Starting with the 2016 model year, the automaker will reduce the mileage limits on its powertrain warranty for Chevrolet and GMC vehicles from 100,000 miles to 60,000 miles, according to a statement from the automaker.
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That’s still competitive with most non-luxury brands. Honda, Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen all cap powertrain coverage at five years or 60,000 miles; Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi and Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles have longer provisions.
GM’s powertrain warranty covers most engine, transmission and driveline parts (for example a four-wheel-drive transfer case). The warranty still extends five years, so if you typically drive less than 12,000 miles a year, the mileage reduction shouldn’t affect you. That’s because mileage and yearly limits end at whichever point comes first. On a new car, that’s the point when you cross 60,000 original miles or hit five years since the day you bought it.
GM, which also makes Buick and Cadillac, will also modify its two-year free-maintenance program for most new Buick, Chevrolet and GMC cars starting for the 2016 model year. Previously, the policy included four service visits over two years or 24,000 miles, whichever came first. Now the complimentary maintenance includes two visits over that period. They comprise of an oil and filter change, tire rotation and vehicle inspection “based on what’s called for in the vehicle owner’s manual maintenance schedule and oil-life monitoring system,” spokeswoman Afaf Farah told us.
Free maintenance is still the exception among non-luxury brands. Toyota and Volkswagen also offer it, but most others put scheduled maintenance on your dime. Cadillac’s complimentary maintenance program, which extends four years or 50,000 miles, remains unchanged, as do the powertrain warranties for Cadillac and Buick (six years or 70,000 miles).
Farah said the automaker’s bumper-to-bumper warranties, which cover most non-drivetrain components for shorter periods than the powertrain policies, remain unchanged across all four brands. All provisions are still transferrable to future owners if you sell your car before the terms expire.
Editor’s note: This post was updated on March 24 to correctly state the number of allowed service visits for GM vehicles.