Currently, the powertrain warranty Ram offers on its pickup trucks is 5 years or 100,000 km – but that is about to change. Starting with 2026 model-year vehicles, the company is increasing the coverage period on pickups and vans to 10 years or 160,000 km.
We should point out that Ram’s announcement concerns the U.S. market. That said, it would be surprising if the same coverage isn't offered in Canada. We'll have to wait and see.
Why the change?
The reason given by the company is quite simple: buyers are financing their vehicle for a period longer than five years, which means they end up still making payments but without the warranty coverage.
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said that 85 percent of Ram pickup buyers today finance their vehicle for a period of at least seven years. He added that owners “keep the vehicle for 12 years and finance it for 7 years. Do you know what hasn't changed? Nobody has changed the warranty. Consumers are investing more and more money in your brand, but you’re not investing more money to protect them."
The extension of coverage also applies to Ram vans.
Among rivals Ford and General Motors, powertrain protection is currently 5 years or 100,000 km.
Ram specifies that the warranty covers the engine, transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, differentials and axles. The warranty applies to the vehicle's original owner. It covers retail purchases and leases for individuals and businesses but excludes fleet orders.
A warranty in line with consumer realities
Kuniskis also said that, based on the data available to him, if buyers finance a vehicle for longer than the warranty period and then need a repair between the end of the warranty and the end of their payments, they will never return to the brand. Whether it's the manufacturer's fault or not, it becomes ingrained in their minds, and they will shop elsewhere.