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home > guides > Car Warranty > What You Don’t Know About the Nissan Factory Warranty (2022)

Nissan continues to top lists for being one of the safest automakers on the market, but even the most sound vehicles can still experience mechanical breakdowns. To provide peace of mind on the road and ensure overall safety, a Nissan factory warranty is included with every new and certified pre-owned vehicle. 

In this article, we review the Nissan factory warranty from top to bottom, covering what’s included, what’s excluded, how long coverage lasts and the advantages of extending your coverage after your factory warranty expires. Read on to find out the strengths (and weaknesses) of your Nissan factory warranty.

The Nissan factory warranty consists of a few separate coverages, the most important of which are a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Here’s an overview of the coverage included in the Nissan factory warranty:

The Nissan factory warranty mirrors most other manufacturer warranties and covers all parts and labor costs.

The Basic Limited Warranty acts as your bumper-to-bumper coverage. Beginning on your car’s in-service date, this warranty covers any factory or workmanship defects that may cause a mechanical breakdown. It extends for 3 years or 36,000 miles, which is on the shorter side compared with other manufacturers’ factory coverage.

The Powertrain Limited Warranty covers your car’s “moving parts,” or the systems and components that make your vehicle move. These include the:

Like the Basic Limited Warranty, Nissan’s Powertrain Warranty limit definitely isn’t the longest we’ve seen. The Kia warranty , for example, provides powertrain coverage for up to 10 years.

If you’re driving a Nissan Leaf, the manufacturer’s electric model, your powertrain warranty also extends for 5 years or 60,000 miles, and it covers the vehicle’s electrical systems. The Leaf also receives an 8-year/100,000-mile lithium-ion battery warranty.

Here’s an overview of the other coverage included in the Nissan factory warranty:

We especially like Nissan’s roadside assistance perk. Included in your Nissan factory warranty, roadside assistance services are available 24/7 through a simple, toll-free call to the manufacturer. This service covers:

Because this service is attached to Nissan’s Basic Limited Warranty, it only lasts for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Yes, the Nissan factory warranty does transfer to any subsequent, individual owners. Nissan notes that no action needs to be taken by the original owner for the warranty to transfer, so it sounds like you’re off the hook for any transfer fees.

The Nissan factory warranty is comprehensive, but as with any car warranty, it has some exclusions. Because a car warranty aims to protect you against mechanical breakdowns and factory defects, it won’t protect you from damages caused by:

The Nissan factory warranty will also not cover any scheduled maintenance costs other than the services outlined in the Adjustment Period warranty. Any covered repairs will need to occur at your local Nissan dealership. Based on our research, there are a little over 200 dealerships in the U.S.

If you purchase a certified pre-owned (CPO) Nissan, a version of the Nissan factory warranty will still be included. Unlike the Nissan factory warranty for new cars, the CPO coverage only provides one limited warranty that lasts for up to 7 years or 100,000 miles from the car’s original in-service date.

While seven years sounds like a long time for coverage, the oldest CPO Nissans are six years old, so you may end up with only one year of coverage depending on the age of the vehicle you buy.

The Nissan CPO Limited Warranty covers over 600 components, including your:

The CPO Nissan factory warranty comes included with the purchase of a vehicle, but it has a $100 deductible you’ll need to pay per repair shop visit.

The CPO Nissan factory warranty includes quite a few perks that last the duration of your coverage:

Additionally, you’ll receive a three-month free trial of SiriusXM satellite radio. 

The Nissan CPO warranty is also transferable to any subsequent, individual purchasers throughout the 7-year/100,000-mile coverage period.

If you didn’t purchase your vehicle directly from the dealership, you may not know the status of your Nissan factory warranty. We outline a few steps below so that you can find the warranty information you need.

Locate your vehicle identification number (VIN). A series of letters and numbers, your car’s VIN acts as its social security number. Documents like insurance cards, car titles and even sometimes the Nissan owner’s manual may have the VIN printed on them. If you don’t have those papers at the ready, check your Nissan. The VIN is often displayed under the driver’s side windshield or the inside of the driver’s side door.

Call the Nissan dealership. Most Nissan dealers should be able to look up your car based on its VIN and can let you know the status of your Nissan factory warranty.

When in doubt, check CARFAX. If calling a dealership isn’t an option, you can use your VIN to search CARFAX for your car’s warranty information. Often, a CARFAX Vehicle History Report also includes car warranty details.

The choice to purchase an extended warranty for your Nissan should depend on a few factors, like your car’s reliability and how long you intend to drive it.

If you have a very reliable Nissan that hasn’t shown any signs of mechanical failure, an extended car warranty may be an investment to skip. However, if your car isn’t so reliable, or if you want to increase your Nissan’s resale value down the line, getting a few extended warranty quotes is probably a good idea. You might also consider your ability to pay for repairs outright. An unexpected $500 repair might not faze some Nissan drivers, but for many others, this isn’t a feasible amount to cover out of the blue.

While reliability can vary from model to model within a car brand, here’s a general idea of Nissan’s reliability based on data from RepairPal:

As you can see, Nissan has a pretty good reliability reputation. To get a better idea of where that $500 average annual repair cost comes from, take a look at a few commonly reported Nissan repairs and estimated costs, according to RepairPal.

As mentioned, the data above gives a good overview of Nissan’s reliability, but you may have a better or worse experience with your vehicle’s repairs, which you should factor into your decision to purchase an extended warranty. For more guidance, check out our list of additional pros and cons of extended car warranties.

After deciding to purchase an extended warranty, or vehicle service contract, for your Nissan, the next step is deciding which protection plan is best for your vehicle’s needs and your budget. The manufacturer-backed Nissan extended warranty is one option.

After your Nissan factory warranty expires, the manufacturer’s extended warranty options can continue to protect you against mechanical issues for up to 8 years or 120,000 miles. There are three Nissan Security+Plus Extended Protection Plans to choose from, including:

All of Nissan’s vehicle protection plans are transferable, cancelable and include additional benefits.

A manufacturer’s vehicle service contract is not the only way to extend your Nissan factory warranty coverage. You can also purchase an extended warranty from other reputable extended car warranty companies.

A third-party warranty often gives drivers better flexibility than a manufacturer warranty. For example, third-party providers offer:

Whether you’re leaning toward manufacturer coverage or a third-party plan to extend your Nissan factory warranty, it’s always best to seek out quotes from multiple providers.

We’ve reviewed the best extended car warranty companies and recommend beginning your research by looking into our top three recommended providers: Endurance, CARCHEX, and CarShield. You can start getting free, personalized quotes from these companies right away by clicking below.

The Detroit Bureau collects data from every major car warranty provider to formulate rankings of the best warranty companies. Our in-depth rating system takes into account coverage, pricing, transparency, customer satisfaction and ratings from industry experts. Each provider is given a weighted score in five categories, as well as an overall score out of 10.0.

We recommend auto warranty companies based on these rankings, but we also encourage you to perform your own research and compare quotes to find the best coverage.