With Ford ranking No. 21 out of 32 car brands for reliability according to RepairPal, it can be a smart move to consider an extended service plan. The Ford extended warranty offers long coverage terms for a manufacturer, but you also have other options from reliable car warranty companies.
To buy a manufacturer’s extended warranty from Ford, you’ll need to purchase the plan either at the time of vehicle purchase or before your factory warranty — or new car limited warranty — expires. We’ll go into the details of a Ford extended warranty so you can make that decision before your manufacturer’s warranty coverage is up.
What does a Ford extended warranty cover?
A Ford extended warranty covers mechanical breakdowns on various systems such as the engine, electrical and air conditioning. You have different Ford Protect Extended Service Plan options depending on whether your vehicle has a gas or electric powertrain.
All plans cover genuine Ford parts and factory-trained technicians at Lincoln and Ford dealers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. You can purchase them online or from dealerships before the 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty period is over.
Gas or diesel Ford extended warranties
Ford offers four plans for gas and diesel powertrains. All of these can cover up to 10 years or 175,000 miles.
| Ford Extended Warranty | Plan Details |
|---|---|
| PremiumCare | This comprehensive bumper-to-bumper plan covers any mechanical breakdown except for some excluded situations and components. It covers over 1,000 components in total. |
| ExtraCare | This plan covers 113 components in 10 systems including steering, brakes, suspension, climate control and high tech. |
| BaseCare | This plan covers 84 components in eight systems — it doesn’t cover high-tech components, and it covers fewer parts in certain systems such as the transmission and climate control. |
| PowertrainCare | This plan covers 29 components in the engine, transmission and drive axles. |
You can cancel a Ford vehicle service contract within 30 days for a full refund. Keep in mind that you’ll only get a cash refund if you pay for the warranty yourself. If you financed the warranty within an auto loan, the lender will receive the refund and apply it to the loan balance.
If you cancel after 30 days, you’ll get a prorated refund based on the time and miles of coverage minus a $75 cancellation fee.
You can also transfer the extended warranty to a secondary owner if you sell your car privately. You have 180 days from the vehicle sale to provide transfer information to any Lincoln or Ford dealership and pay a $75 fee.
Electric Ford extended warranties
Ford offers four options for electric vehicles such as the Mustang Mach-E. They all cover up to 10 years or 150,000 miles. Three of the plans offer the same basic coverage as plans for gas vehicles: PremiumCare EV, ExtraCare EV and BaseCare EV.
There’s no PowertrainCare option for electric vehicles because EVs don’t have a combustion engine. The transmission and drive systems are also drastically different with fewer moving components.
What’s new is the PremiumCare Plus EV plan. This combines comprehensive mechanical breakdown coverage with maintenance services. The plan covers scheduled maintenance including inspections and tire rotations plus wearable items such as brake pads and wiper blades.
While Ford’s EV plans cover 25,000 fewer miles than the gas or diesel plans, it’s nice that Ford provides EV coverage. Not all manufacturers have specific plans for EVs.
Ford extended warranty added benefits
Ford extended warranties come with benefits of 24-hour roadside assistance, rental car coverage, trip interruption and destination assistance. Here’s a closer look at the benefits:
- Roadside assistance: This covers things such as spare tire installation, towing, fuel delivery, lockout assistance and battery jump-start up to $100 per occurrence.
- Rental vehicle benefits: Ford covers a rental car for $60 per day for up to 10 days when your car is in the shop for a covered repair.
- Emergency travel expense: Ford will reimburse you up to $1,000 within the first five days per occurrence for food and lodging if your car breaks down over 100 miles from home.
- Destination assistance: Ford can reimburse you up to $75 for transportation costs if your car breaks down and you need to get somewhere else, such as your home or office.
Roadside assistance, rental coverage and emergency travel coverage are common in the industry. However, some companies only cover three days for emergency travel assistance while Ford covers five.
Ford also provides some optional add-ons. The Key Services option covers lost and damaged key fobs, while the Personal Services option provides pickup and delivery plus mobile repair services when available.
Ford extended warranty exclusions
While Ford’s extended warranty is comprehensive, even the PremiumCare plan doesn’t cover everything. Car warranties cover mechanical breakdowns, so they exclude scenarios that auto insurance generally covers, such as accident or environmental damage. Ford’s plan also doesn’t cover maintenance items including filters, bulbs, batteries or brake pads.
Here are a few more excluded parts and situations:
- Damage from misuse or lack of maintenance
- Cosmetic components including trim, glass and upholstery
- Repairs for preexisting conditions
- Aftermarket components and any damage they cause
These types of exclusions are common to any extended warranty. They underscore how important regular maintenance is, too. If your engine overheats from low oil levels, the plan won’t cover repairs from that issue, for example.
Does Ford offer a maintenance plan?
You can get a Premium Maintenance plan from Ford Protect to cover many regular maintenance services. Ford offers maintenance for both standard and electric vehicles. Gas, hybrid and diesel plans can cover maintenance for up to 10 years/175,000 miles, while EV plans cover up to 10 years/150,000 miles.
You can get a quote from the Ford Protect website or contact a dealer for coverage. Plans cover oil changes, tire rotations and inspections plus normal wear and tear items including the following:
- Brake pads
- Shock absorbers
- Spark plugs
- Clutch disks
- Engine belts
- Hoses and O-rings
- Wiper blades
What is Ford’s factory warranty?
All new Ford vehicles come with a bumper-to-bumper warranty of 3 years/36,000 miles and a powertrain warranty of 5 years/60,000 miles. This bumper-to-bumper length is the shortest in the industry, though it’s common among many manufacturers. What makes the extended warranty nice is it bumps coverage up substantially to 10 years/175,000 miles. This is more than triple the bumper-to-bumper warranty length.
How much does a Ford extended warranty cost?
Depending on your vehicle and plan, you may pay between $882 and $1,081 per year of coverage for a Ford extended warranty. This is slightly higher than the industry average for third-party companies.
The Ford Protect website makes it easy to see what you’d pay for an extended warranty. To get a quote, you’ll need your car’s VIN and mileage plus your contact information. You’ll see an instant quote as long as your car is within the factory warranty period of three years and 36,000 miles.
Below are a few PremiumCare quotes we received for a 2023 Ford F-150 with 10,337 miles. These include a $100 deductible. You can also choose a $0, $50 or $200 deductible.
| PremiumCare Plan Term | Total Cost | Financing |
|---|---|---|
| 10 years/175,000 miles | $7,565 | $757 down, then $227 for 30 months |
| 8 years/125,000 miles | $4,015 | $402 down, then $120 for 30 months |
| 6 years/85,000 miles | $2,645 | $265 down, then $99 for 24 months |
What does the average extended warranty cost?
Compared with other options on the market, Ford’s plans are slightly more expensive. Our data shows bumper-to-bumper third-party warranty plans cost about $824 per year of coverage.
Considering that Ford’s 10-year plan provides seven years of coverage after the factory warranty, the quote above costs about $1,081 per year of coverage. Doing the same calculation for its six-year plan (which covers three years after the warranty) yields a cost of $882 per year, which is closer to the average. If you want the best price, try shopping from multiple local dealers and negotiating the cost in person.
Looking at total costs, the average bumper-to-bumper plan from third-party providers is also cheaper than Ford’s PremiumCare plan.
| Extended Warranty Type | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Bumper-to-bumper | $2,804 |
| Mid-level | $3,151 |
| Powertrain | $2,807 |
Is a Ford extended warranty worth it?
Overall, a Ford extended warranty can be worth it because the brand has lower-than-average ratings for reliability than other manufacturers.
Are Fords reliable?
Ford ranks No. 23 out of 29 manufacturers on the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. This study polled owners on the number of problems they encountered during the first three years of ownership. Ford had 293 problems per 100 vehicles, which was above the average of 190 problems.
Similarly, RepairPal ranks Ford No. 21 out of 32 brands. RepairPal data shows Ford has an average repair and maintenance cost of $775 per year compared with the $652 industry average.
How much are Ford repairs?
A brand’s repair costs should be factored in when considering whether an extended warranty would be worth it. Here are some common Ford repair bills, as reported by RepairPal:
| Ford Repair | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape ignition coil replacement | $105–$146 |
| Ford F-150 EGR valve replacement | $201–$234 |
| Ford Escape oil pan replacement | $399–$444 |
| Ford F-150 fuel level sending unit replacement | $1,587–$1,979 |
What Ford owners say
At this time, the Ford Motor Company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau but is not rated because it’s in the process of responding to older complaints. The company does have a 1.5-star rating from customers on Trustpilot — and a few have shared their thoughts on the extended warranty.
A number of customers said the service department was slow to approve and work on repairs. One customer said his car was in the shop for a warranty repair for over four months with no expected completion date.
Another customer said an engine replacement took five months. During that time, the car’s alternator and windshield wiper motor failed because the car sat on the lot for such a long time. The dealer covered those repairs, but that just shows how long the claim took.
Where should you buy a Ford extended warranty?
You have until 3 years/36,000 miles to decide whether you want a Ford Protect extended warranty. That’s not a whole lot of time, but you can get third-party plans after that point.
The nice thing is you can compare your plan options and purchase coverage online from the Ford Protect website. Many auto manufacturers only sell plans through dealerships. Of course, you can also get a Ford extended warranty from the dealer.
Manufacturer vs. third-party extended car warranties
While Ford provides many coverage options, third-party companies offer advantages in a few areas. For example, third-party plans tend to be cheaper than factory plans. Also, Ford’s plan requires you to go to a Ford or Lincoln dealer for repairs. Third-party contracts allow you to go to any licensed repair facility.
You can compare Ford to a few major third-party companies below.
| Ford | Endurance | CarShield | Carchex | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | 50 states | 49 states (no CA) | 49 states (no CA) | 50 states |
| Number of Plans | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Coverage Length | Up to 175,000 miles | Up to 200,000 miles | Up to 300,000 miles | Up to 250,000 miles |
| Deductible | $0, $50, $100, $200 | $0, $50, $100, $200 | $0, $50, $100, $200 | $0, $50, $100 |
| Transferability | Yes, for $75 | Yes, for $50 | Yes, for $50 | Yes, for $50 |
| Roadside Assistance | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Cancellation Policy | Full refund within 30 days | Full refund within 30 days | Full refund within 30 days | Full refund within 30 days |
What’s next?
Ford can cover up to 10 years or 175,000 miles and offers four levels of coverage for customizable peace of mind. The brand also has ample EV extended warranty options, which is rare in this industry, so it can be a good option if you want coverage from the manufacturer.
But if you’re itching for just a bit more, you can compare third-party plans from reputable companies. These options can offer higher mileage limits and more flexibility:
Our rating methodology for auto warranty companies
At Homefront, we analyze, rate and rank top vehicle service contract providers to help you discover the right one for your needs. The best automotive service contract companies offer transparency, affordability and expansive coverage options, among other qualities.
We rate companies using our objective scoring methodology. We assess brands on factors that are important to consumers like you — including cost, coverage, market standing, trustworthiness and customer experience. After scoring companies on a 100-point scale, we simplify final scores into the 5-star ratings you see in our content.
BBB and Trustpilot ratings are accurate as of March 2024.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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