Skip to main content

Secret Warranties That Can Get Your Car Fixed for Free

Consumer Reports reveals hidden warranties for fixing your car―even when a car is past its warranty period. Plus, how to get technical service bulletins you thought only your mechanic had access to.
Cut Your Repair Costs with This Advice from Consumer Reports

You've heard (or experienced) this complaint enough times to become believable: "My warranty just expired, and the (fill in the bank) broke down on my car! Those (fill in the blankety blank) auto manufacturers are purposely designing cars to fail shortly after their warranties end to force car owners to buy cars more often than necessary."

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

While there is enough of an element of truth to this complaint, what you may have experienced or heard is strictly anecdotal evidence. In other words, until a study is done to verify these complaints and/or an automaker insider turns whistleblower, there is little else you can do other than do your best to maintain your vehicle and find a good mechanic you can trust.

Related article: The Sealed Transmission White Lie

There is Help Beyond Expired Car Warranties

According to a recent Consumer Reports newsletter, however, all is not necessarily lost should your car develop a problem after your warranty has ended.

"…you can often save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in repair bills by taking advantage of special unadvertised automaker programs that provide free or discounted service work. Though manufacturers often call these programs "service actions" or "customer satisfaction campaigns," many people refer to them as secret or hidden warranties because they're rarely announced to the public," states this week's newsletter.

Why Past-Warranty Warranties Exist

Warranty extensions sometimes happen whenever a manufacturer sees evidence that something is amiss with one of their models:

  • An unusual number of warranty claims for a specific problem.
  • A rapid decline in spare parts inventories.
  • A component or system in a given model is failing at a greater rate than expected.
  • Complaints to their customer service departments and reports from dealers.

While it would be nice to believe that warranty extensions are provided in the name of good customer service, sometimes a manufacturer-initiated free-repair program is either to avoid a class action lawsuit or is part of a settlement after a lawsuit has begun.

Examples of Warranty Extensions

The Consumer Reports newsletter offers these three examples of warranty extensions:

Unfortunately, for most car owners, those extended warranties are not always adequately announced. In my case, I found out too late that some auto manufacturers temporarily remedied a common car paint peeling problem that I could have used…if only I had known about it at the time.

Another problem―not entirely due to auto manufacturer's failure to adequately notify car owners―is when software updates are needed to correct a potential problem. Too often, however, the notifications are sent by mail and are usually tossed by car owners because they look like junk mail on the surface.

Unfortunately, there are also instances where an automaker initiates a service campaign and sends a notification letter to all known owners, but the second or third owners of that car might not receive it.

Where to Find Word of Warranty Extensions

One way to find out if there are any warranting extensions applicable to your vehicle is to just ask a trusted, dependable mechanic you use. You did take the time to find one…right?

Another way to keep abreast of any warranting extensions applicable to your vehicle is to search for info that is not just available to mechanics: Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs).

TSBs are notifications that "…automakers send to their dealers' service departments. A TSB describes how a technician should determine if a problem is applicable to the service bulletin and then what should be done. It will list part numbers (which are often updated or redesigned parts) and the amount of labor the technician will be paid for. The TSB will also include the procedure for the work to be carried out," advises the Consumer Reports newsletter.

"A dealership or repair shop can also look up available TSBs using the vehicle's VIN. It will be able to tell you whether there are any active TSBs that are applicable to your vehicle and whether or not you'll be charged to have the repair made."

The Benefits of Checking for TSBs

"If your car develops a problem that's not related to wear and tear or collision damage, it might be worth checking to see whether there's a TSB related to it," adds the newsletter

While a TSB pointing to a specific problem you may have with your car does not guarantee that a repair will be done for free, it is worth checking for the following potential benefits:

  1. Some TSBs have information about special warranties related to the problem or other remedies the carmaker is offering to owners.
  2. TSBs can save money for the owner because the technician doesn't need to spend time diagnosing a problem, which the owner would pay for in labor costs if the vehicle is out of warranty.
  3. Even if no warranty extension is offered, a TSB tells you that the problem is known to the automaker and can be used to negotiate with your service adviser to see if there are any coupons available or discounts that could be applied to the repair.

Where to Find TSBs

While Technical Service Bulletins used to be difficult for consumers to come by, they are now available online for free at nhtsa.gov― the government's auto safety website.

In the Owner section, enter your car's make, model, and year, and click on the Service Bulletins tab. The TSBs will appear in the search results as manufacturer communications.

However, before heading to a dealership with a copy of a TSB in your hands, it is prudent to do as much research as possible on your own before making an appointment at the dealer.

"This is because your vehicle may be excluded from a TSB (or recall) even though it covers the make, model, and even model year of the car you own. Your car might have been built outside of the VIN range for that particular TSB and already has the updated part…You don't want to leave your car for the dealer to address a TSB, only to have to pay a diagnostic fee to find out it isn't applicable to your car," warns the newsletter.

For additional articles related to your car repairs, here are a few useful ones 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 @TimBoyerWrites for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

COMING UP NEXT: Top 5 Best Trucks to Buy for Reliability and Value in 2025

Image source: Deposit Photos

Automotive News
Car Questions
Ford
Hyundai