GMC Warranty: Review, Cost & Coverage Options

Advertiser Disclosure

All GMC vehicles come with a GMC warranty that includes 3-year/36,000-miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 5-years/60,000-miles of powertrain coverage. Keep reading to learn exactly what is covered by the GMC factory warranty and what this could mean for your wallet.

If you plan to own your vehicle for a long time, you may decide that you’re interested in extended your warranty coverage. If you need extended protection for your GMC vehicle, we recommend getting quotes from the following providers, as they topped our list of best extended car warranty companies:

All new GMC vehicles come with standard coverage, otherwise known as GMC Pro Grade Protection, which includes:

• Bumper-To-Bumper Limited Warranty
• Powertrain Limited Warranty
• Corrosion Protection
• Rust-Through Protection
• Roadside assistance for 5 years or 60,000 miles
• Courtesy transportation for 5 years or 60,000 miles
• Complimentary first maintenance visit

You don’t have to do anything to receive this coverage. It comes with every new purchase or leased GMC vehicle. Keep in mind that a GMC warranty won’t cover damage caused by an accident, improper maintenance, or misuse. If you use non-branded parts that create a problem, there is no coverage for that either.

Let’s break down each plan under GMC’s warranty to see what’s included and what’s not.

Bumper-To-Bumper Limited Warranty (3 Years/36,000 Miles)

GMC provides a bumper-to-bumper warranty with no deductible. It covers the entire vehicle for repairs – including parts and labor – with only a short list of exclusions. The covered components are guaranteed against defects in workmanship or material. This warranty also provides towing to the dealership. If you sell the vehicle, it transfers automatically if still within the term length.

Powertrain Limited Warranty (5 Years/60,000 Miles)

The fully transferable powertrain warranty covers the essential systems of your vehicle with no deductible. For both the GMC 2500 and 3500 Series Heavy Duty (HD) trucks with Duramax turbodiesel engines, the coverage is automatically extended to a 5-year/100,000-mile plan.

Parts covered with the powertrain warranty include:

• Engine
• Transmission/transaxle
• Transfer case
• Drive systems (axle shafts, bearings, propeller shafts, universal joints, and constant velocity joints)

The following exclusions apply to GMC’s powertrain warranty:

• Sensors
• Wiring
• Connectors
• Hoses
• Electrical connectors
• Clutch
• Pressure plate
• Transmission control module

Courtesy Transportation is also available during the duration of your powertrain coverage. If your vehicle requires repairs during the warranty terms, you can be reimbursed for certain transportation expenses. For more information about exclusions, refer to the Limited Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet.

Corrosion Protection (3 Years/36,000 Miles)

This warranty covers all of the body and sheet metal components of your vehicle from corrosion. With the warranty, GMC recommends refraining from applying any extra rust-inhibiting material to the vehicle.

Rust-Through Protection (6 Years/100,000 Miles)

This coverage handles repairs should the body sheet metal rust through and form a hole. For the first three years, corrosion is specifically covered under the previous warranty and should prevent a hole from wearing through if repairs are made promptly.

Complimentary Maintenance Visit

The first maintenance appointment for a new GMC vehicle is covered as part of the warranty plan. On 2019 cars and trucks, the coverage is only for one visit, but 2017 and 2018 vehicles receive coverage for the first two visits. During a maintenance appointment, coverage includes an oil change, tire rotation, and vehicle inspection.

If you’ve recently purchased a used vehicle and want to see if the factory GMC warranty is still valid, you can look up this information on the automaker’s website. Simply create an account in GMC’s My Owner Center to look up the warranty status.

As your factory GMC warranty plans expire – or ideally, long before that – you need to decide what to do next. A GMC extended warranty is a way to protect your vehicle in the long run, but it’s important to choose great coverage. The following questions should help you determine if a GMC extended warranty is right for you.

Are You Keeping Your Car?

If you plan to keep your vehicle for a long time, you want to make sure you have the coverage you need to avoid expensive repairs. On the other hand, you don’t necessarily want to write off a warranty if you plan to sell the vehicle. In fact, an extended auto warranty that is transferable can help make your vehicle more appealing to potential buyers.

GMC is ranked 3 out of 5 in terms of reliability by RepairPal. This puts the automaker at 22nd out of 32 ranked car brands, so you see it’s not considered one of the most dependable manufacturers. The question probably isn’t whether or not you will experience an issue. It’s how expensive that issue will be.

Some GMC repairs you might encounter over the life of your vehicle include:

Do You Have The Money To Cover Repairs?

The repair costs above are simply estimates. The table doesn’t show figures for more expensive repairs, like the replacement of your engine or transmission. If your vehicle has a few issues in a short period of time, you might very quickly find yourself with thousands of dollars in car repairs trying to figure out how you are going to pay for them.

If, after answering these questions, you find that a GMC extended warranty is the best option for you, it’s time to consider where you are going to buy the coverage. Thankfully, you have several great choices.

One way to extend warranty coverage is with a factory-backed extended warranty. This warranty is an extension of the factory bumper-to-bumper coverage offered by General Motors (GM), the parent company of GMC. Instead of receiving 3 years or 36,000 miles of factory coverage, you can pay extra to extend the GMC warranty to 5 years or 60,000 miles.

With this GMC extended warranty, there is no deductible, and the entire vehicle is covered other than listed exclusions. Vehicles in California, Maine, Minnesota, and Florida are not eligible for coverage.

Along with the Extended Limited Warranty, the company offers GMC extended warranties that are more similar to the extended warranties offered by most manufacturers. More than 1,000 parts are covered, including the engine, transmission, and drive axle. Term lengths range from 2 years or 24,000 miles to 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Protection Plans come with perks like rental car reimbursement, towing services, trip interruption coverage, and lockout services.

On top of these plans, GMC also offers:

• GAP Coverage
• Tire & Wheel Protection
• Appearance Guard
• Pre-Paid Maintenance

All of these are available for an additional fee and must be purchased at the dealership.

Limitations and Exclusions

Before you decide to head to the dealership, there are a few more things you want to consider. First of all, GM has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but on the same website, it earned a one-star rating with consumers. In the past 12 months alone, there have been 243 complaints, many of which are related to warranty coverage.

These complaints could be a result of vehicle owners simply not understanding the warranty coverage. You will need to read through your contract or supplied information yourself to fully understand what is and isn’t included.

Here are a few of the parts not covered by GMC Protection Plans:

• Battery
• Transmission clutch assembly
• Audio equipment and speakers
• Carpet/upholstery
• Brake drums and rotors
• Exhaust components

The following exclusions also apply to a GMC extended warranty or Protection Plan:

• Repairs must be done by an authorized GM dealership, which includes GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac.
• Having any parts replaced outside of the dealership can void your warranty.
• If a breakdown occurs because of a lack of regular maintenance, you aren’t covered.

As you examine your options, you may want to look into third-party warranty companies. These providers most commonly act as brokers, offering a variety of coverage plans from various warranty administrators. There are also third-party companies that are direct providers.

Some of the benefits to using a reputable third-party organization include:

• Complete protection: Third-party warranties provide just as much coverage as dealer-backed warranties, if not more. You can choose the protection plan that covers the components you want.
• No dealership markup: Dealers sometimes mark up the price of a warranty. Many also require you to purchase your extended warranty at the time of the vehicle purchase, which doesn’t give you much time to consider your options. Although, this is not the case with GMC.
• Flexible repair options: Third-party companies allow you to have your vehicle repaired at other repair shops aside from the dealership.
• Buy anytime: You can purchase an extended warranty before your factory GMC warranty expires or long afterward. Most of the time, you will receive a lower price when you purchase earlier.
• Additional perks: Many plans provide benefits such as roadside assistance, towing services, rental cars, and trip interruption services. Read through the terms of the plans you are considering to ensure you get what you need.

You never know the cost until you get a personalized quote. That’s why we recommend getting one from at least two companies. Then you can truly compare your options side by side.

How To Pick A Third-Party Warranty For Your GMC

We’ve already done research on the top third-party warranty companies in the industry. Our team conducted a survey in 2021 in which respondents expressed which third-party provider they purchased a warranty from and for what reasons. Here are some of the factors we looked at to determine which company had the best extended warranty:

• Term length
• Company reputation
• Coverage and exclusions
• Number of mechanics to choose from
• Claims process
• Ability to cancel coverage
• Ability to transfer coverage
• Quotes process