BOISE — Pickup trucks are hugely popular in Idaho and across the U.S. — and it’s not unheard of for a new one to cost more than $100,000.
That’s why many buyers are turning to used trucks.
Idaho News 6 senior reporter Roland Beres looked into some of those barely used pickups imported from Mexico or Canada and found that if you buy one expecting to be protected by a factory warranty, you probably won’t be.
Learn why warranties become void if the car was imported from another country —
Americans buy nearly 8,000 new pickup trucks every day, according to Hedges & Company, which tracks vehicle sales.
Layken Standing bought a used 2022 Ram truck with 13,000 miles for about $40,000 last year.
“A big selling point of the truck was that it still had a factory warranty, which we thought was great — especially for a used vehicle,” Standing said. She later found out how important that warranty would have been.
“The truck has had nothing but issues from literally the first week we bought it,” she said. “The electronics went haywire and the engine started eating oil like it was going out of style.”
Now, Standing says, “My engine has had a total failure. It needs anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 in repairs.”
When she asked if the repairs would be covered, she was told no.
“This is a Canadian vehicle — your warranty is not good in the U.S.,” the dealer said, according to Standing.
Ram and many other manufacturers won’t honor warranties on vehicles originally sold in another country.
Why? In part, it’s due to different manufacturing standards. It’s also meant to protect domestic truck sales by discouraging imports from countries where exchange rates make vehicles cheaper.
“It’s a manufacturer’s decision,” said Rob Studebaker, who runs Treasure Valley Subaru and imports used trucks. “We need trucks. They’re red hot in America.”
Studebaker said his dealership follows federal rules requiring disclosure of a vehicle’s country of origin and warranty status. He showed us that information on a truck’s window sticker.
“We even include a three-month, 3,000-mile limited warranty from us,” Studebaker said.
Standing says the dealer she bought from did not disclose that her factory warranty was void but did list the truck “as is,” which legally protects the seller.
“The response was, ‘We’ve spoken to the salesperson and addressed it on our end,’ and that was it,” Standing said.
Fortunately, she purchased supplemental insurance that covered most of the engine replacement costs. Without it, she says she’d still be paying off a truck that doesn’t run.
To check where a vehicle was made, look at the sticker on the driver’s side door jamb. It lists the country of origin. You can also check the VIN: if it starts with a 2, the vehicle was made in Canada; a 3 means Mexico; and 1, 4 or 5 indicates it was made in the U.S.
