Ford Extended Warranty: Plans & Coverage

Like most automakers, Ford offers extended warranty coverage to protect owners from unexpected vehicle repair costs after the New Vehicle Limited Warranty expires. You can purchase a Ford extended warranty while the Ford factory warranty is in effect. 

Ford Extended Warranty Plans

Ford offers four plans that can cover up to 10 years from the in-service date or 175,000 miles on the odometer for cars within the factory warranty period. Ford recently increased the time and mileage limits on its plans, which used to max out at 8 years/150,000 miles.

The four plans are PremiumCARE, ExtraCARE, BaseCARE, and PowertrainCARE. They differ mainly in the components that are covered. Below, you can compare covered systems at a glance:

You can choose the time and mileage limits with any plan – up to 10 years/175,000 miles. This lets you customize the coverage and price for your situation.

The shortest term for the PowertrainCARE plan is 6 years/75,000 miles, because the factory powertrain warranty lasts for 5 years/60,000 miles. Below, you can see how flexible the time and mileage limits are:

Ford PremiumCARE Warranty

As the most extensive Ford extended warranty, Ford PremiumCARE is comprehensive coverage with more than 1,000 components covered. A car’s powertrain, air conditioning and heating, electrical, audio, and safety systems are covered, among many more. The Ford PremiumCARE warranty is the only Ford ESP to include the powertrain control module (PCM). 

Ford ExtraCARE Warranty

This Ford extended service plan includes coverage for 113 components that impact drivability and vehicle performance. It includes complete coverage for steering and braking, plus partial coverage for the engine, transmission, and electrical components. Coverage for the rear suspension, safety systems, emissions, audio, and PCM is not included.

Ford BaseCARE Warranty

This plan partially covers the powertrain, brakes, front suspension, air conditioning and heating, and electrical systems. It only completely covers the steering system. A total of 84 components are covered, but BaseCARE doesn’t include the radiator or its fan, the fuel tank and lines, the flywheel ring gear, or gas fuel injectors and lines.

Ford PowertrainCARE Warranty

This plan is basic, partially covering the engine and transmission for the most critical issues, plus rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. A total of 29 components are covered, and several plan-term options are available.

Ford Protect Premium Maintenance Plan

For owners who don’t want to pay for routine maintenance and wear-and-tear items on their own, Ford also offers the Ford Protect Premium Maintenance Plan. This plan differs from Ford’s extended warranties in that it covers routine inspections, preventative care, and the replacement of items that require periodic attention. For example, tire rotations, clutch discs, engine belts, spark plugs, brake pads and linings, oil changes, and multi-point inspections are covered.

The Premium Maintenance plan is transferable to a new owner. Similar to Ford’s Extended Warranty, repairs and services must be performed at a Ford or Lincoln dealership or authorized service shop.

Ford Extended Warranty Used Plans

Once the factory warranty has expired, your car is eligible for a Used Plan if it is 14 model years old or newer. Terms vary from 1 year/10,000 miles to 6 years/75,000 miles from the warranty purchase date. The coverage options are the same as New Plans, though coverage and term availability depend on your car’s age.

Ford offers what many auto manufacturers don’t: online pricing. In other words, you can go to Ford’s extended warranty website, add your address and vehicle details, and then see what you’d pay for each plan depending on the time and mileage you select. This makes it easy to shop for a warranty.

Our team pulled sample quotes for two vehicles with two time/mileage selections on all four plans. All the costs below include a $100 deductible, but Ford also offers $0, $50, and disappearing deductibles.

Ford plans vary in cost widely depending on the term you select. If you want 10 years/175,000 miles of PremiumCARE coverage, you’ll pay about $1,000 per year of coverage. But if you go for a 7-year/100,000-mile plan, you’ll pay about $400 per year of coverage.

Ford F-150 Extended Warranty Cost

Below are prices for each Ford extended warranty plan for a 2022 Ford F-150. These costs apply to the maximum length of a plan, which is 10 years/175,000 miles from the in-service date.

And below, you can see Ford F-150 extended warranty costs for a term of 7 years/100,000 miles, which is a common warranty term in the industry.

Ford Escape Extended Warranty Cost

Now we’ll take a look at Ford extended warranty costs for a 2021 Escape. You’ll notice the costs below are slightly higher than the warranty costs for the F-150.

Here are the four plan costs with a 10-year/175,000-mile term:

And here are the four extended warranty plans for a 7-year/100,000-mile term:

After examining the fine print, many drivers find that Ford extended warranty coverage isn’t for them. A third-party extended warranty for your Ford can provide comparable coverage and offer several advantages over Ford’s options.

To its credit, Ford’s maximum coverage of 8 years/150,000 miles is some of the longest we’ve seen from manufacturer extended warranties. However, protection from a third-party company can go even longer. You can easily find a warranty provider that protects your car past 200,000 miles.

Do You Already Have Ford Factory Coverage?

If the car is new and covered by its original bumper-to-bumper warranty, you might not need an extended warranty yet. Just keep in mind that it’s often cheaper to start the extended warranty while you still have factory coverage.

Ford Repair Costs

Given the information above, let’s compare the Ford extended warranty cost to the amount you could pay for repairs. RepairPal gives Ford 3.5 out of 5 stars for reliability, which makes it 21st out of 32 ranked car brands. The company reports an average annual repair cost of $775 per year for Fords, which is higher than the industry average of $652 per year.

Here are a few common vehicle repair costs you might run into with a Ford:

Common Ford Repair Costs

How does Ford’s extended warranty compare to other options on the market? While Ford offers four coverage levels, many extended warranty companies, including CarShield and Endurance, offer more options. For example, CarShield has four “traditional” extended warranty plans, as well as a high-tech plan and a specialty vehicle plan. Endurance offers six warranties, including one that covers maintenance services as well.

Flexibility is also built into third-party extended warranties, as most allow you to visit more than 30,000 certified repair facilities, not just Ford or Lincoln service centers.

Lastly, you won’t miss out on roadside assistance and other benefits with a third-party extended warranty. These are included in almost every contract.

For a closer look, here’s a side-by-side comparison of Ford’s extended warranties and plans from CARCHEX, one of our top three highest-rated providers.

Endurance: Best Coverage

Our choice for Best Coverage is Endurance. The company offers direct-to-consumer extended warranties, unlike many third-party brokers in the extended warranty industry. This means warranty services all come directly from Endurance, and the provider handles all claims directly. Endurance Elite Benefits is included with your warranty for one year, and this perk includes roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, towing, tire repairs and replacements, and more. 

There’s no middleman, and excellent customer service during the quotes and claims processes is a focus of many of the positive Endurance warranty reviews.

Endurance offers six different coverage plans:

CarShield: Best Monthly Payments

CarShield is our choice for the best value because the company has some of the lowest-priced vehicle service contracts in the industry. It has served more than one million consumers since starting in 2005 and is endorsed by many celebrities and television personalities.

A few CarShield highlights include:

• 4.1-star Google rating based on over 7,000 reviews
• Listed on Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest-Growing Companies
• Featured on CNN, HGTV, ESPN, TBS, and more

To find the best extended car warranty company for you, we suggest contacting several providers. Get a free quote and take note of down payment costs, what coverage level is offered, and how many months you can pay. That way, you can find a good fit for your vehicle and budget.

In this article, we reviewed Ford extended warranty coverage as well as the Ford Protect Premium Maintenance Plan. While Ford offers multiple extended warranties, we found that third-party providers such as CarShield, Endurance, and CARCHEX offer better vehicle service contracts.

Below are common questions people ask about Ford extended warranties.

*Data accurate at time of publication.