NEED HELP WITH DECIDING ON EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR LIGHTNING PRO

PA Lightning · Monday at 1:16 PM

I am coming up on three years of ownership and was reading threads about extended warranties. I understand the value of the Premium Care option if you have an upper trim, but it seems that Premium Care covers many items that I do not have as options. Given the 5/60 drive train warranty from Ford I am looking for input on Premium Care vs Extra Care vs Base Care for an extended protection plan on a Pro Model.

Looking forward to thoughts on the best option for a Pro

chl · Tuesday at 10:16 AM

I also have a Pro. I opted for a Fidelity Warranty 7 years 100k mile mechanical failure contract bundled into the purchase. I normally do not buy those things, but since 2023 MY was only the second model year of the Lightning, I thought it might be worth having.

So note that there are 3rd party warranties available as well as those from Ford that may be comparable or better. Some auto insurance companies used to offer them as well.

From all the posts on threads and forums, one can see that even on lower trim models, there is a lot that could go wrong and could be expensive to fix outside the basic warranty periods, other than the battery and drive train.

I have not seen any warranties that cover the battery beyond the 8 year 100k mile range for 70% loss and Ford does not offer one.

Henry Ford · Tuesday at 1:22 PM

Basic financial advice says don't buy insurance for something you can afford to pay for without insurance.

What is the most expensive thing that could go wrong with a Lightning and how much would it cost to repair?

chl · Tuesday at 2:16 PM

Henry Ford said:
Basic financial advice says don't buy insurance for something you can afford to pay for without insurance.

What is the most expensive thing that could go wrong with a Lightning and how much would it cost to repair?

What's the answer to that question, assuming the manufacturer warranty has expired and it's not the battery (unless due to a defect and covered by product liability laws)?

Lots of expensive stuff on that truck...wiring issues are always expensive to fix on any car except a go-kart.

PA Lightning · Tuesday at 6:04 PM

Henry Ford said:
Basic financial advice says don't buy insurance for something you can afford to pay for without insurance.

What is the most expensive thing that could go wrong with a Lightning and how much would it cost to repair?

I would tend to agree. I have never previously purchased an extended warranty, mainly because I do not generally keep vehicles beyond the factory warranty. I like my Pro so much, I intend to keep it beyond the three year bumper to bumper.

The problem with EV repairs is I don't know what I don't know. I do not know what can go wrong and how expensive it will be to repair.

I see some members lamenting about tail light issues that cost a few thousand to repair. I just don't know what level of warranty I should get if I decide to purchase a warranty. The premium care seems excessive for a pro. That is why I posed the question, hopeful that someone could shed light on the different warranty programs as applied to a Pro

Piquette · Tuesday at 6:28 PM

Ordinarily I do not go for extended warranties either. My philosophy has been the best insurance is making sure the vehicle gets it recommended maintenance. In the case of my last ICE F-150 that meant oil changes and tire rotation every 5000 miles as well as everything else Ford recommends.

The Lightning is a different animal. Despite my best efforts I have already had to have two battery modules replaced in 25k miles. My service representative and service technician, who I greatly admire and recommend, advised me after the second battery module failed (at 21k miles) to consider purchasing an extended service plan from Ford because there are a lot of expensive parts that can fail on a Lightning. Since Ford will not warrant the battery for more than 8 years/100,000 miles, I purchased a Ford Extended Service Plan (basically bumper to bumper) for 10 years/85k miles. Since retiring four years ago I find that I don’t put as many miles on a vehicle as I use to. Hopefully the ESP I chose to purchase will cover me for as long as I plan to keep the truck.

Madtroniks · Tuesday at 6:40 PM

I agree with Electric Vehicles being a different animal.

I went with a Fidelity Extended warranty as well. Fidelity warranty services comes highly recommended by the Porsche owners forum Rennlist.

Steingold Factory Protect Fidelity Extended Warranty Link - Electric Vehicles

Use code RIVIAN to knock $200 off the price.

Here is a good detailed thread where Rivian owners discussed Fidelity Extended warranty.

If you decide to go with Fidelity or Xcare, use a coupon code to help save some money.

Pay attention to if its an exclusionary warranty versus inclusionary.

Fidelity Extended warranty for Electric Vehicle Thread Thoughts - 10 yr or 11 yr / 100,000 miles - 150,000 miles bumper to bumper extended warranty.

Steingold Factory Protect Fidelity Extended Warranty Link - Use code RIVIAN for $200 off the price.