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Brogan Woodburn is a writer for USA TODAY Homefront and has read dozens of extended auto warranty contracts, including the fine print that will tell you whether your car insurance covers slashed tires or can get you a new engine replacement. His editorial experience in the auto industry includes work that appears on MarketWatch and Motor1.com.
Brogan is based in Prineville, Oregon, and enjoys exploring the outdoors in his free time. Having studied guitar at Berklee College of Music, he also performs classical guitar for local events and weddings.
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The Nissan warranty includes bumper-to-bumper coverage for 3 years/36,000 miles and more.
New Nissans come with roadside assistance and trip interruption for 3 years/36,000 miles.
Nissan offers Security+Plus extended warranty contracts after the factory warranty expires.
Nissan offers a bit of everything, including the rugged Frontier to the sporty Rogue and even the beloved GT-R supercar. All Nissans come with a factory warranty that covers almost any breakdown for the first 3 years/36,000 miles, but the company’s electric vehicles (EVs) and the GT-R get special treatment.
In this article, we’ll cover all major components of the Nissan warranty and how it compares to other manufacturers. We’ll also cover the extended warranty compared to some of the best extended car warranties.
Endurance offers coverage for up to 8 years or 200,000 miles, but it only offers long-term plans.
The Nissan new vehicle limited warranty is standard for the industry. It covers almost any breakdown under Basic Coverage for 3 years/36,000 miles. This is an exclusionary warranty, covering everything except a list of exclusions.
The powertrain warranty covers the engine, transmission and drivetrain for 5 years/60,000 miles. It also covers airbags and related control systems. This is stated-component coverage, so it only covers the exact parts written on the warranty.
Extra benefits from Nissan’s warranty include roadside assistance and trip interruption for the bumper-to-bumper period plus towing for the powertrain warranty period.
Nissan’s warranty is like all other factory plans in that it excludes several parts and situations. Some examples include the following:
These exclusions are all common to manufacturer warranties.
The Nissan warranty adds some specific points for the GT-R. If you’re not familiar with the model, the GT-R is Nissan’s supercar that starts at $121,090 (or $221,090 for the Nismo version). Owners are often racing enthusiasts who appreciate the car’s automotive history. However, any damage from racing won’t be covered.
Nissan already excludes damage from “racing and competitive driving” on all its models. But it adds extra language in the GT-R warranty to exclude “racing and/or competitive driving of any sort whatsoever, and/or use on a track or driving on any airstrip.”
It also excludes damage from dynamometer testing except when in compliance with federal regulations for emissions testing. GT-R owners or resellers may use dyno tests to measure the exact torque of the engine and see if it lines up with factory specifications. Dyno testing can put the engine through some stress, and if anything goes wrong, Nissan won’t cover it.
All Nissan warranties require you to follow regular maintenance guidelines. GT-R owners have to add a few extra checkups called Performance Optimization Services at 1,000 miles, 12 months, 24 months and 36 months. The recommended services are covered by Nissan GT-R dealers. Nissan won’t cover damage that could have been avoided if you don’t do these services.
Nissan’s warranty is comprehensive and it includes roadside assistance and trip interruption. However, there’s no guarantee that a Nissan dealership will provide a loaner car for repairs. You might get one depending on the service department’s workload and dealer policies.
On the other hand, extended warranty plans from third-party companies usually come with rental car reimbursement that applies for covered repairs. You get reimbursed up to a limit per day for a certain number of days with third-party plans.
Nissan’s warranty matches the basic coverage you get from many other brands, including Ford, Honda and Toyota. All these brands offer 3 years/36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 5 years/50,000 miles of powertrain coverage. Many companies offer longer coverage than this, though. Genesis, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Kia all have the best new car warranties with 5 years/60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper and 10 years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage.
Some other manufacturers offer free maintenance with new vehicles. However, Nissan only offers free inspections. There’s a chance you could find free maintenance from your specific dealer. For example, Patriot Nissan of Salem, New Hampshire, advertises one year of free maintenance and World Car Nissan of San Antonio advertises two years of free maintenance. These programs might only apply to service at those dealerships.
Nissan offers two EVs: the compact Nissan Leaf and the more upscale crossover Ariya. Both cars get a 5-year/60,000-mile EV system warranty. This covers the EV motor, inverter unit, DC/DC converter, onboard charger and a few more parts.
The lithium-ion battery is covered separately for 8 years/100,000 miles. Coverage applies if the battery malfunctions because of a defect in materials or workmanship. The warranty also covers significant capacity loss, which requires the capacity gauge to display fewer than nine segments out of 12 during that time. If it displays nine segments or more after you charge up, then the capacity loss isn’t severe.
Buying a certified pre-owned (CPO) Nissan is a great way to save money and also get a vehicle that is well cared for. Nissan has three levels of CPO vehicles:
Whether it’s a gas or EV model, CPO Nissans get 2 years/40,000 miles of extra powertrain warranty coverage compared to the factory powertrain warranty. In contrast, most other automakers offer one or two years of extra bumper-to-bumper coverage on their CPO vehicles.
Certified Select is a different sort of program in which dealers can inspect older vehicles and attach a 6-month/6,000-mile warranty. These don’t have to be Nissan models.
All types of CPO Nissans come with roadside assistance, rental car coverage and trip interruption benefits for the length of the warranty.
Overall, Nissans are fairly reliable vehicles. However, the factory bumper-to-bumper plan is the shortest in the industry. After that, you’ll have to cover repairs another way.
Nissan ranks just below average on the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which polled drivers on problems they had in 3-year-old vehicles. Nissan owners reported 199 problems per 100 vehicles, which was just above the average of 190 problems. This put it at No. 15 out of 29 brands in the study.
Nissan ranks a bit better in RepairPal’s reliability rankings. It ranks at No. 9 and ReparPal notes Nissan owners pay about $500 per year for maintenance and repairs on average. This is cheaper than the industry average of $652 per year.
Since Nissans are generally reliable, extended warranties for the brand should be cheaper than plans for brands with higher costs such as BMW.
If you want peace of mind that repairs are covered after Nissan’s warranty expires, you can get a Security+Plus extended protection plan from Nissan or an extended warranty from third-party providers.
Nissan offers multiple Security+Plus plans depending on your vehicle. You can get a Nissan extended warranty until the factory extended warranty of 3 years/36,000 miles expires. The plans might also be available on used Nissans from dealers after that point.
Security+Plus plans can cover up to 8 years/120,000 miles. For gas models, you can choose from the following:
For EVs, you can choose from Gold Preferred and Silver Preferred. Nissan also offers a CPO Wrap plan that gives you Gold Preferred coverage on a CPO vehicle.
Car warranty companies such as Endurance and Omega Auto Care also offer plans for Nissan vehicles. You’ll typically find three to five plan options that come with benefits such as roadside assistance, trip interruption and rental coverage. Having reviewed many third-party providers, we’ve found third-party plans can be cheaper on average or provide more years of coverage for a similar price.
Third-party plans also let you visit any licensed mechanic or repairs, while Nissan’s plans require you to visit a dealer. Plus, third-party coverage can extend to 250,000 miles depending on the company — this is twice as long as Nissan’s extended warranty.
Nissan’s factory warranty lasts for 3 years/36,000 miles, but you’re not likely to run into expensive repairs during that time. You’ll want to plan how to cover repairs after that point, so we recommend comparing quotes from Nissan with third-party plans to find the best coverage for the price.
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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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