Chrysler Group LLC is discontinuing its lifetime powertrain warranty beginning with 2010 models. In its place will be five-year, 100,000- mile warranty. The new warranties will be transferable if covered vehicles are resold during the warranty period. The lifetime warranty was not transferable.
 
Powertrain warranties typically cover engine, transmission, and other driveline components. Some vehicles that were excluded from the lifetime warranty will now be covered, including the Dodge Viper and SRT performance models. Police, taxi, and some fleet vehicles will also now have coverage. The Dodge Sprinter van and Dodge Ram trucks with diesel engines will not get the new coverage.
 
Spokesman Rick Denneau says the company is making the change because market research indicated customers prefer a warranty with a fixed time limit. The lifetime powertrain warranty was introduced in the fall of 2007, and it replaced three-year, 36,000-mile overage.
 
In choosing your next car, the warranty protection can provide peace of mind, but be sure to check what it covers. And research the reliability for the company and model—a prime indicator of how much you may need to rely on a warranty and later, your checkbook, to keep a car running.
 
—Jim Travers