Skip to main content

Car Warranty Voided by Owner’s Bad Behavior

Here's the surest way to void your new car's warranty with today's modern models. Plus, why you can't beat the system by erasing your car's Black Box.
Car Owner Denied Warranty Claim is Out of Luck for Abusing HIs Car

You can deduce a lot about someone just by stepping into their home. Are there any magazines or books lying around; and if so, what are their titles? Is it overly messy or overly clean? What kind of food is in the refrigerator? What's in their medicine cabinet? What does the search history on their computer reveal…or not reveal?

The point is that it really is no different from owning a modern car today. Not only can your mechanic figure out what kind of car owner you are, but the manufacturer can also access how you drive through your vehicle's ECM (electronic control module).

Related article: Will Toyota Void Your Warranty…or Worse?

Your Car's ECM Will Tattle On You

A car's ECM (Engine Control Module), aka the ECU (Engine Control Unit) ―or in layman's terms, a car's "Black Box" ―is the computer that controls a vehicle's engine. Sensors linked to the ECM monitor a range of engine parameters that includes (but is not limited to) a vehicle's air intake, fuel flow, temperature, and exhaust emissions, to ensure the engine runs efficiently and is meeting specific performance standards.

Beyond performance, one of the biggest benefits of an ECM is that if something goes wrong with your engine, the ECM generates diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), which mechanics can read using an OBD I/II scan tool to assist them in troubleshooting engine problems.

However, many car owners might not realize that, at its foundation, the ECM is a data-collecting and storage device that reveals not just how the engine and its various systems are doing but also how you are behaving with your driving habits.

New Car Owner is Denied Warranty Claim

A recent Steve Lehto YouTube channel episode demonstrates this point exactly with the story of a 20-year-old Ontario car owner upset over his Hyundai Elantra N sports car warranty being denied after the engine failed on him after approximately 28,000 miles.

The reason for the denial of the warranty claim is that the manufacturer knows the owner abused his car through not only the data stored in the car's ECM but the fact that the owner stated he used the car on a race track several times.

According to Hyundai Manufacturing, their data shows that the car was over-revved multiple times, which constitutes an abuse of the vehicle that automatically voids any warranty coverage for the model.

Related article: Least Reliable Cars That Don't Make It Past Their Warranty

Here's the news story reported by CTV News (Ontario):

Hyundai Canada is Refusing to Honor Extended Warranty Due to 'Improper Use' of Engine

 

An Important Lesson for New Car Owners

While a reasonable car owner would not engage in bad behavior such as needlessly over-revving their car's engine without expecting it to cause at least some damage to the engine and/or transmission, the point made in the Steve Lehto episode is to what extent of over-revving an engine could be used to deny a warranty claim?

Listen to Steve in the video below as he goes into what this recent warranty-voided story could mean for car owners who are not abusing their cars, but a manufacturer may claim to the contrary to justify a warranty claim being voided.

Carmaker Denies Warranty Claim Saying Man Over-Revved the Engine

 

You Can Try to Beat the Manufacturer at Its Own Game…But Will Likely Lose

Car owners who own or have access to a scan tool might come up with the bright idea of attempting to clear their ECM memory to hide any evidence of abuse. However, if you follow the comments of the Steve Lehto video, one post explains it's not that simple since there are other ways of finding the info the manufacturer needs to deny a warranty claim:

@DEMGaming

I worked at the dealership back when the Mitsubishi Evo's came out, and I couldn't tell you how many warranty claims we kicked because of over-revving. People used to think they were so smart by clearing the codes from the ECM, but what they didn't know was the HVAC computer stored the max revs of the compressor, and we could get the same data from there.

In other words, just like walking into someone's house and being observant, even the best-hidden secrets can be exposed when you suspect and know what to look for.

For additional articles related to car warranties, here are a few for your consideration:

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWritesfor daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

COMING UP NEXT: Is Harbor Freight's Plastic Car Ramp Safe for DIY Mechanics?

Image source: Deposit Photos

Automotive News
Car Questions
Hyundai