---
title: "Honda Extended Warranty: Who Backs Honda Care, and What Its Brochure Leaves Out"
description: "The two Honda Care repair contracts we read have two obligors. What the brochures omit, how long the powertrain warranty really runs, and 2,089 CFPB loan and lease complaints."
url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/honda-extended-warranty/"
type: "article"
published: "2026-09-11"
modified: "2026-09-11"
site: "Baron Auto"
disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership."
---

# Honda Extended Warranty: Who Backs Honda Care, and What Its Brochure Leaves Out

> The two Honda Care repair contracts we read have two obligors. What the brochures omit, how long the powertrain warranty really runs, and 2,089 CFPB loan and lease complaints.

*Car Loans & Credit · 27 min read · 6,080 words*

## The short version

- Honda sells its extended warranty as Honda Care, a service contract separate from the factory warranty. Its 2023 brochure names American Honda Protection Products Corporation as provider. It prints no maximum term, mileage limit, deductible or price.
- Honda Care Term Protection is a wear-item plan of up to 4 years or 60,000 miles with a $0 deductible. It is owed by a different company, Safe-Guard Products International, LLC.
- A new Honda carries 3 years or 36,000 miles of New Vehicle Limited Warranty and 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain, each ending at whichever limit comes first. After the New Vehicle warranty ends, the powertrain warranty keeps running until the car reaches 5 years or 60,000 miles. The gap between the two limits is 2 years and 24,000 miles, but what a given car gets depends on where it stood when the first warranty ended. That subtraction is ours; Honda doesn’t print it.
- The 2025 booklet makes arbitration binding unless you opt out by letter within 30 days of delivery. It bars transfer of the seat belt warranty and doesn’t say whether the others transfer.
- Of the 2,089 vehicle loan or lease complaints filed against American Honda Finance at the CFPB, 163 are about add-on products. Only 8 of those closed with relief, none of it money: 4.9%, against 9.8% for the rest of those complaints.

Honda’s own name for its extended warranty is Honda Care. It is a vehicle service contract you buy on top of the factory warranty, and its brochure names American Honda Protection Products Corporation as the provider. The factory warranty comes with every new Honda at no separate charge. It covers 3 years or 36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain. The Honda Care brochure lists six coverage types and then calls them five levels. It prints no term, mileage limit, deductible or price. This page draws on Honda’s own documents, read on 11 September 2026, and the CFPB file of Honda’s lender.

**Figure: What a new Honda already carries, and where it thins out**

A two-column table of the twelve coverage terms in Honda’s 2025 warranty booklet, grouped by the point at which each one stops, from 3 years or 36,000 miles to 15 years or 150,000 miles. One marked row shows the powertrain warranty continuing after the New Vehicle Limited Warranty ends, until 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first; the gap between the two limits, 2 years and 24,000 miles, is our subtraction. A final marked row records the Honda Care outer limit as not printed in the 2023 Honda Care brochure.

Read from Honda’s 2025 warranty booklet and the 2023 Honda Care brochure on 11 September 2026. The booklet’s twelve terms are grouped by where they stop. We compared 9 of them with the 2024 booklet, and all 9 are unchanged. The first marked row is the span between the end of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty and the end of the powertrain warranty. Both end at whichever limit comes first, so the gap between them, 2 years and 24,000 miles, is not what every car gets: a Honda that reaches 3 years on low mileage keeps up to 2 more years of powertrain cover, while one that reaches 36,000 miles early keeps up to 24,000 more miles. The gap is our subtraction of one Honda term from another, not a figure Honda prints. Rows naming California apply to vehicles registered and normally driven in the 17 states Honda lists. The last row does not say Honda has no maximum term. It records that this brochure prints none, and that the contract with your vehicle identification number on it is the document that sets one.

## Two Honda Care contracts, two different obligors

The Honda Care brochure’s small print names the provider as American Honda Protection Products Corporation, and in Florida as American Honda Service Contract Corp., license 60083. The brochure calls it the provider, and under the Texas definition set out below, the provider is the party obligated to you under the contract. It is not the company that publishes the factory warranty booklet, which is American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and it is not the lender, American Honda Finance Corporation. So when someone asks what company Honda uses for its extended warranty, the brochure’s answer is American Honda Protection Products Corporation.

Term Protection is sold under the Honda Care name but owed by someone else. Its brochure names Safe-Guard Products International, LLC as administrator and obligor, and Safe-Guard Warranty Corporation in Florida, license 60126. That brochure is copyrighted by American Honda Finance Corporation. It also notes that Honda Financial Services is a trading name of the same lender, the company whose complaint file we count below. One Honda folder can therefore hold two contracts owed by two different companies. Read the obligor line on each one. This page covers only those two repair contracts.

Neither product is the factory warranty. The Honda Care brochure describes itself, in capitals, as an advertisement for a motor vehicle service contract. It calls itself an overview of coverage and benefits, says actual coverage, limitations and exclusions may vary, and sends you to the service contract for the complete details. The Term Protection brochure says the plan “is optional and is not insurance”, and that the contract alone governs every transaction. A factory warranty comes with the car. A service contract is a separate purchase with its own terms, its own obligor and its own cancellation rules.

Obligor is the word to hold onto. Texas’s service contract regulator defines a provider as the party contractually obligated to the buyer under the contract. The seller, usually the dealership’s finance office, may owe you nothing under it. Our guide to [who actually owes you the repair](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#who-owes-you) sets out each role. On Honda’s two products the name is printed on the brochure, so you can check that the contract you are handed matches it.

## What the Honda Care brochure prints, and what it leaves out

The [Honda Care brochure](https://honda.americanhondafinance.com/resource/1694127663000/AHFC_Protection_Products_Brochures_First/2023_Honda_Care_Honda_Vehicles_Coverage_eBrochure.pdf) is headed “Six Kinds of Care” and lists six:

- New Vehicle
- Pre-Owned Vehicle
- Certified Additional
- Certified Used Additional
- Certified Used Powertrain
- Powertrain, for pre-owned vehicles only

The next paragraph says Honda Care “offers five levels of coverage”. The same document gives both counts, and we record both rather than guess which one Honda meant.

Honda says the New, Pre-Owned, Certified Additional and Certified Used Additional plans cover “virtually every component” on the car. It attaches a condition: you have to follow Honda’s recommended maintenance schedule. The two powertrain plans, Honda says, cover essential powertrain components. The brochure lists component groups rather than parts. The four fuller plans cover drivetrain (engine, transmission, differential and axles), electronics, chassis (suspension, steering and brakes), heating and cooling, and Honda Genuine Accessories. The two powertrain plans cover the engine, drive axles, transmission, and seals, gaskets and fluids. It prints no exclusions, so the contract’s own list and exclusions decide a claim.

According to the brochure, repairs are done by factory-trained Honda technicians using Honda Genuine Parts. A Honda Care-authorized service center is used only when no Honda dealership is within towing distance. The New Honda Care plan also offers commercial coverage for a new Honda used in business. Honda mentions a payment plan for buying Honda Care on its own and sends buyers to a dealer for the details, without printing any terms.

The extra benefits have printed caps. Rental reimbursement is capped at $35 a day for 6 days. Trip interruption is capped at $100 a day for 3 days. It applies to a covered repair, or a factory warranty repair, while you are more than 100 miles from home, and only when a mechanical breakdown is the cause. Multiplied out, those caps come to $210 and $300. That arithmetic is ours, not Honda’s. Roadside assistance lists 24-hour help, towing, lockout help, a battery jump-start, a tire change and fuel delivery, which excludes natural gas vehicles. Under the concierge service, third-party costs such as a rental car, taxi, lodging or flights are paid by the driver who asks for help.

For the main contract, the brochure prints no maximum term, maximum mileage, deductible or price. So Honda’s brochure can’t tell you what Honda Care costs, how long it can run or what you pay per repair visit. Those come from the dealer’s quote and the contract. For how prices get set, see [why there is no sticker price](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#no-sticker) and [where the markup comes from](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#markup).

**Ask for the contract, not the brochure.** You will hear the term, mileage limit, deductible and price from a salesperson or on a quote sheet. Ask for the contract with your VIN and the provider’s name printed on it, and read the exclusions first. The provider should be American Honda Protection Products Corporation for Honda Care, or Safe-Guard Products International for Term Protection. In Florida, expect American Honda Service Contract Corp. or Safe-Guard Warranty Corporation instead. If the contract names anyone else, Honda’s brochures don’t describe that product.

## The Honda powertrain warranty, and the stretch after the New Vehicle warranty ends

Honda’s [2025 warranty booklet](https://owners.honda.com/Documentum/Warranty/Handbooks/2025_Honda_Warranty_Basebook.pdf) prints twelve coverage terms. The New Vehicle Limited Warranty lasts 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, and Honda says it includes the 12-volt battery. The Powertrain Limited Warranty lasts 5 years or 60,000 miles from the same start date. It covers the engine, the transmission and transaxle, and the front- and rear-wheel-drive systems the booklet lists. Here are all twelve terms as the booklet prints them.

**The twelve coverage terms in Honda’s 2025 warranty booklet, read on 11 September 2026. California rows apply to vehicles registered and normally driven in the 17 states Honda lists.**

| Coverage | Term | What the booklet says it covers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New Vehicle Limited Warranty | 3 years or 36,000 miles | Every new Honda, including the 12-volt battery. Tires may be warranted separately by their maker. |
| Powertrain Limited Warranty | 5 years or 60,000 miles | Engine, transmission and transaxle, and the front- and rear-wheel-drive systems as listed. Starts on the New Vehicle warranty’s start date. |
| Seat Belt Limited Warranty | 15 years or 150,000 miles | Seat belts that fail to work properly. SRS parts that act on the belts stay under the New Vehicle warranty. Original owner or lessee only. |
| Rust Perforation Limited Warranty | 5 years, no mileage limit | Original body panels that rust completely through from the inside out. |
| High Voltage Battery Capacity Limited Warranty | 8 years or 100,000 miles | Greater-than-normal degradation only, as a Honda dealer judges it. Gradual capacity loss is expected and not covered. |
| Accessory Limited Warranty | 3 years or 36,000 miles | Honda Genuine Accessories installed before the retail sale, for the length of the New Vehicle warranty. |
| Federal emissions defects, basic | 3 years or 36,000 miles | Basic coverage. Selected parts listed in each model’s Emissions Warranty Parts List get longer coverage. |
| Federal emissions performance | 3 years or 36,000 miles | Applies if the vehicle fails an EPA-approved emissions short test. |
| California emissions performance and short-term defects | 3 years or 50,000 miles | Or a longer period for listed parts. |
| California long-term emissions defects | 7 years or 70,000 miles | Emissions-related parts specially noted with this coverage. |
| California emissions, SULEV-certified models | 15 years or 150,000 miles | Replaces the 3-year, 50,000-mile and 7-year, 70,000-mile coverages on certain models certified as Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles. |
| California SULEV high-voltage battery defects | 10 years or 150,000 miles | If equipped. |

After the New Vehicle Limited Warranty ends, at 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, the powertrain warranty keeps running until the car reaches 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. The gap between the two limits is 2 years and 24,000 miles; that subtraction is ours, not Honda’s. How much powertrain-only cover a particular car gets depends on where it stood when the New Vehicle warranty ran out. A Honda that reaches 3 years with fewer than 36,000 miles keeps powertrain cover for up to 2 more years, and can add well over 24,000 miles in that time. A Honda that reaches 36,000 miles before its third birthday keeps powertrain cover for up to 24,000 more miles, which can take more than 2 years. Either way, the powertrain warranty is gone at 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

At 3 years or 36,000 miles, coverage ends for the 12-volt battery, for accessories installed before sale and for basic federal emissions coverage, apart from the selected parts Honda lists for longer emissions coverage. These keep running alongside the powertrain:

- rust perforation, for 5 years with no mileage limit
- seat belts, for 15 years or 150,000 miles
- hybrid battery capacity, for 8 years or 100,000 miles
- in California-emissions states, emissions performance and short-term defects coverage for 3 years or 50,000 miles, which outlasts the New Vehicle warranty on a car that reaches 36,000 miles inside 3 years
- in those states, long-term emissions parts for 7 years or 70,000 miles, or, on SULEV-certified models, emissions coverage for 15 years or 150,000 miles and a high-voltage battery term of 10 years or 150,000 miles, if equipped

Everything else the New Vehicle warranty covered, and the powertrain list doesn’t name, is yours to pay for in that stretch unless a replacement-parts warranty, an adjustment program or a service contract covers it. The first two are described further down.

Honda also adjusts some items free for a set period: original key fob and remote batteries and wiper blade inserts for the first 6 months, wheel balancing and alignment for the first year or 12,000 miles, and air conditioner refrigerant for the first 2 years or 24,000 miles.

We compared 9 of the twelve terms with the [2024 booklet](https://owners.honda.com/Documentum/Warranty/Handbooks/2024_Honda_Warranty_Basebook.pdf), and all 9 are unchanged. We couldn’t confirm the other three in the 2024 text: the two federal emissions terms and the SULEV emissions term. So we make no claim about them. For what each tier covers in general, see [powertrain vs bumper-to-bumper coverage](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/powertrain-vs-bumper-to-bumper-warranty/).

## Term Protection: wear items, a $0 deductible, a different obligor

Unlike the main Honda Care brochure, the [Term Protection brochure](https://honda.americanhondafinance.com/resource/1710457304000/AHFC_Protection_Products_Brochures_Six/Honda_Term_Protection_23.pdf) prints its terms. The plan lasts up to 4 years or 60,000 miles with a $0 deductible, measured from the date you buy the agreement and the odometer reading on that day. You must buy it within 12 months or 12,000 miles of the start of the new-vehicle warranty. It covers:

- one set of front and rear brake pads
- one battery
- most major engine belts and hoses
- one set of wiper blades
- one wheel alignment

An optional brake rotor cover has to be bought at the same time as the plan. It adds one set of front and rear rotors, or a capped amount toward carbon or ceramic rotors: $1,000 for the front and $1,000 for the rear.

The brochure lists six exclusions:

- mechanical breakdowns the manufacturer’s warranty covers
- breakdowns caused by an accident, collision, vandalism or weather
- breakdowns caused by lack of maintenance, or by conditions that existed before you bought the plan
- carbon or ceramic brake pads
- carbon or ceramic brake rotors, unless you bought the optional rotor cover
- hybrid or electric high-voltage batteries

Rental pays $35 a day for up to 10 days. Trip interruption pays $200 a day for up to 5 days, and isn’t available to New York residents. Multiplied out, that is $350 and $1,000, again our arithmetic rather than Honda’s.

Term Protection runs at the same time as the factory warranty, so the two overlap in the early years. Its first exclusion means it won’t pay for a mechanical breakdown Honda’s warranty already covers. Honda also adjusts the alignment free for the first year or 12,000 miles, and covers a defective 12-volt battery for 3 years or 36,000 miles. What is left for the plan is wear: pads, belts, hoses, blades, a battery that has simply worn out, and an alignment after the free period ends.

Federal regulators have looked at add-ons that duplicate a manufacturer’s warranty. The FTC’s CARS Rule, announced in December 2023, would have required a buyer’s express, informed consent for charges and barred add-ons that give the buyer no benefit, naming a warranty program that duplicates the manufacturer’s warranty as an example. The FTC postponed the rule in January 2024 while a challenge ran in the Fifth Circuit, then withdrew it in February 2026 to conform to the court decisions. With the rule withdrawn, checking what any plan adds over the factory warranty is up to you.

The brochure says you can cancel at any time, with a fee after 30 days, and that state-specific cancellation and transfer rules are in the customer agreement. A private buyer can take the plan over for a fee, but only if they also take over your finance agreement.

## Replacement parts and batteries: the warranties that start after a repair

The booklet gives parts you buy later a warranty of their own, separate from the car’s. They matter most once the New Vehicle warranty has run out.

- **Replacement parts.** 1 year from purchase, or the rest of the New Vehicle warranty if that is longer, wherever the part was installed.
- **Remanufactured parts installed by a dealer.** 3 years or 36,000 miles. Honda’s examples include alternators, starters, brake calipers, power steering racks and pumps, ABS modulators, automatic transmissions and driveshafts.
- **Remanufactured parts installed by anyone else.** 3 years from purchase, but Honda covers only the part and you pay all the labor.
- **Accessories a dealer fits after the sale.** The rest of the New Vehicle warranty or 1 year from installation, whichever is longer. Accessories a dealer didn’t fit get 1 year, and you pay the labor.
- **Replacement exhaust parts.** The muffler, A-pipe and B-pipe are covered for as long as the buyer owns the car. The original parts, and any fitted while the New Vehicle warranty is still running, are excluded.

A replacement 12-volt battery comes with a 100-month warranty, which Honda writes as 8 years and 4 months. Hybrid Powertrain System batteries are excluded. If the battery fails in the first 36 months, you get a free replacement. After that you get a prorated credit toward a new battery, never cash, for the remaining 64 months.

**Honda’s replacement 12-volt battery warranty, from the 2025 booklet. Credit applies toward a new battery; there is no cash reimbursement.**

| Month | What Honda provides |
| --- | --- |
| 1 to 36 | Free replacement |
| 37 to 45 | 60% credit |
| 46 to 55 | 50% credit |
| 56 to 65 | 40% credit |
| 66 to 75 | 30% credit |
| 76 to 85 | 20% credit |
| 86 to 95 | 10% credit |
| 96 to 100 | 5% credit |

The hybrid pack works differently. Its capacity warranty runs 8 years or 100,000 miles, but it covers only degradation a Honda dealer judges greater than normal. Honda says gradual capacity loss is expected and isn’t covered.

The only hybrid parts list we have is the [2025 Accord Hybrid booklet](https://owners.honda.com/Documentum/Warranty/Handbooks/2025_Honda_Hybrid_Warranty_Basebook.pdf). It describes that model only, not other Honda hybrids. Honda prints each term as years and thousands of miles, ending at whichever comes first. The battery module gets 8 years or 100,000 miles in all states. In the 17 California-emissions states it gets 10 years or 150,000 miles, and every other listed part gets 15 years or 150,000 miles. Nationally, 8 of the 19 parts carry 8 years or 100,000 miles and 11 carry 3 years or 36,000 miles.

**Hybrid parts in Honda’s 2025 Accord Hybrid warranty booklet. “All states” is Honda’s minimum; the last column applies in the 17 California-emissions states.**

| Part | All states | California-emissions states |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hybrid battery module, including all internal components | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 10 years or 150,000 miles |
| Drive motor control module, including software updates | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Battery control module, including internal components and software updates | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Drive motor and generator stators and rotors, including position sensors | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| High-voltage and bypass contactors and fuse | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| High-voltage power cables | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Busbars | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Hybrid transmission | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Battery current sensor | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Battery module fan | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Electronics coolant pump | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Hybrid battery service connector | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Hybrid and EV electronics coolant temperature sensor | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Motor control module coolant radiator | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Motor control module coolant expansion tank | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Motor control module cooling hose and pipes | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Hybrid system air ducts | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Hybrid system relays | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |
| Hybrid transmission cooler | 3 years or 36,000 miles | 15 years or 150,000 miles |

Outside the California-emissions states, then, the cooling and support parts around the pack fall out of Honda’s hybrid coverage at the same point the New Vehicle warranty ends. The battery module, the motor and control modules, the high-voltage cabling and the hybrid transmission carry on to 8 years or 100,000 miles. Term Protection excludes high-voltage batteries entirely, so on an Accord Hybrid the question for a Honda Care quote is which of these parts it covers after 3 years or 36,000 miles.

## Maintenance, records and repairs beyond the warranty

The booklet says you don’t have to service the car at a Honda dealer to keep the warranty. Scheduled maintenance can be done elsewhere or by you, though you may then have to show that the car was properly maintained, so keep the receipts. A part that fails because it didn’t get proper, timely maintenance isn’t covered. Honda adds that it won’t deny a claim for a part that fails from a defect in material or workmanship, for reasons unrelated to maintenance. For emissions warranty claims, Honda says it won’t refuse because you didn’t generally maintain the car or can’t produce the records.

Honda Care has its own maintenance condition. The brochure ties its “virtually every component” description to following Honda’s recommended schedule, so keep the same records for a service contract claim as for a warranty claim.

Warranty repairs don’t always use new parts. Honda may fit factory-remanufactured parts, which are then covered for the rest of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. The warranties, apart from the federal emissions warranties, cover only Hondas bought or leased and registered in the United States and the territories the booklet lists.

Beyond the written terms, the booklet leaves two doors open. Honda may pay for some or all of a repair its limited warranties don’t cover, on a case-by-case basis. It also says Honda sometimes offers a special adjustment program to pay all or part of certain repairs beyond the warranty terms. The booklet names no program. To find out whether one applies to your car, ask a Honda dealer to check your VIN, and get the answer in writing.

For context on engine complaints, look at the NHTSA complaint narratives this site has counted. For the 2018 Accord, 217 of 1,864 narratives are about the head gasket, which is 116.4 per thousand. The comparison group we counted it against runs at 8.1 per thousand, and that group includes this Accord: its 217 are 217 of the group’s 255 head-gasket narratives. We counted a narrative only if it names the head gasket in its first 2 sentences, so these are floors. The Honda Care brochure lists seals and gaskets under its two powertrain plans but doesn’t name the head gasket, so ask whether the contract you are offered does. The [head gasket symptom counts](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/symptoms-of-a-bad-head-gasket/) and [what sets a head gasket repair bill](https://baronauto1.com/car-care/head-gasket-repair-cost/) have the detail. Our year-by-year pages cover the [Accord](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/honda-accord-years-to-avoid/), [CR-V](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/honda-cr-v-years-to-avoid/) and [Civic](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/honda-civic-years-to-avoid/).

## Disputes: binding arbitration unless you opt out within 30 days

Under the 2025 booklet, either you or Honda can choose binding individual arbitration through the American Arbitration Association, under its consumer rules. Class claims are not allowed, and small claims court is the alternative. To opt out, you must write to Honda’s Office of the General Counsel within 30 days after delivery, with your name, your VIN and your intent to opt out. You pay the initial filing fees, up to $250, and Honda says it pays all other AAA fees.

**The opt-out clock starts at delivery.** The 30 days start when you take the car, not when you first need the warranty. If you want to keep the right to go to court beyond small claims, send the letter in the first month.

You can also take a dispute to the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS). Its decision binds you only if you accept it, and if you do, Honda abides by it. A decision usually takes 40 days, or 47 if you didn’t contact Honda first. Honda doesn’t make you use NCDS before you sue, although some state laws may. Ford is different: owners must use BBB AUTO LINE before federal warranty-law remedies, as our [Ford extended warranty](https://baronauto1.com/financing/ford-extended-warranty/) page explains.

If a failure is covered, towing to the nearest Honda dealer is free. Honda reimburses an emergency repair at a non-Honda shop only under the conditions the booklet sets, among them that no Honda dealer within 50 miles was open. The booklet limits implied warranties, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, to the length of the written warranty. Honda also disclaims incidental and consequential damages, including loss of time or use of the car.

## Buying a used Honda: what the booklet says, and what it doesn’t

The booklet’s coverages are offered to the owner or lessee of a Honda distributed by American Honda and sold or leased by an authorized Honda dealer in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. It says only the original owner or lessee can claim under the seat belt warranty, and that the coverage can’t pass to anyone else, including an insurance company. For the other warranties it doesn’t say whether remaining coverage passes to a later owner, so we don’t assume either way. Ask a dealer to run the VIN and confirm in writing what is still in force for you.

For service contracts, the only transfer term we recorded is Term Protection’s: a private buyer can take it over for a fee if they also take over the finance agreement. We recorded no transfer term for the main Honda Care contract. If the used Honda you are buying comes with one, ask for the contract and its transfer clause before you pay extra for the car because of it.

Two exclusions matter most to a second owner. The booklet doesn’t cover a car that has ever been declared a total loss, sold for salvage or given a salvage title. The exceptions are the emissions warranties, seat belts, replacement parts, and recalls or other campaigns. It also doesn’t cover a car whose odometer has been altered so that the real mileage can’t be determined. A vehicle history check is the place to look for both before you buy. For more, see [whether a used car comes with a warranty](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/does-a-used-car-come-with-a-warranty/) and [warranty checks by VIN](https://baronauto1.com/vehicle-history/vin-warranty-check/).

## What the complaint file of Honda’s lender shows

No public database records how Honda Care claims turn out, but the finance side is public. On 11 September 2026 we pulled the CFPB database. It holds 2,089 vehicle loan or lease complaints against American Honda Finance, filed between April 2017 and 8 September 2026: 1,201 about loans and 888 about leases. They are 41.7% of the 5,008 complaints the database holds against the company across all products; most of the rest concern credit reporting, consumer loans and debt collection. Of the 1,144 companies the database lists under vehicle loans and leases, American Honda Finance has the 14th-largest count. A complaint is an allegation, not a finding, and the response field is the company’s own label.

The company answered 2,073 of the 2,089 on time and 16 late. It closed 1,890 with an explanation, 141 with non-monetary relief and 56 with monetary relief, and 2 are still in progress. So 197 closed with relief: 9.4%, the same as the 9.4% across all 102,483 complaints in the product.

The 163 add-on complaints look different. They make up 7.8% of the company’s file, against 5.5% for add-on complaints across the whole product, and they split 99 loans to 64 leases. Only 8 closed with relief, all non-monetary: 4.9%. The rest of the company’s complaints closed with relief 9.8% of the time, roughly double. Across the whole product, the 5,608 add-on complaints close with relief 8% of the time.

Relief rates vary widely by sub-issue. The main add-on sub-issue has 146 complaints and 7 closed with relief, 4.8%. Some sub-issues closed with relief far more often. Complaints about excess mileage, damage or wear fees at the end of a lease closed with relief in 14 of 39 cases, 35.9%. Early lease termination fees: 12 of 46, 26.1%. Billing problems: 33 of 318, 10.4%. Others closed with relief less often, or never: complaints about changes in terms mid-deal, high-pressure sales tactics and repossession notices got no relief at all.

**Vehicle loan or lease complaints against American Honda Finance at the CFPB, by year received. 2017 starts in April; 2026 runs to 8 September. Pulled 11 September 2026.**

| Year | Complaints | About add-on products | Add-on share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2017 | 76 | 8 | 10.5% |
| 2018 | 153 | 8 | 5.2% |
| 2019 | 136 | 6 | 4.4% |
| 2020 | 170 | 8 | 4.7% |
| 2021 | 189 | 12 | 6.3% |
| 2022 | 156 | 9 | 5.8% |
| 2023 | 205 | 14 | 6.8% |
| 2024 | 234 | 22 | 9.4% |
| 2025 | 389 | 44 | 11.3% |
| 2026 | 381 | 32 | 8.4% |

The add-on share held between 4.4% and 6.8% from 2018 to 2023. It rose to 9.4% in 2024 and peaked at 11.3% in 2025. It is 8.4% so far in 2026. The 2017 figure covers only part of a year and rests on 8 complaints. Total complaints rose too, so the add-on count grew faster than the file around it.

Of the 1,123 complaints with a written narrative, 92 (8.2%) mention a protection product by keyword. Across all 1,123 narratives, 62 use a form of the word warranty, 38 write GAP in capitals, 14 say service contract, 1 says VSC and none says Term Protection. One narrative can match several words. Only 3 name Honda Care. The tally is a keyword floor, not a census: a complaint about a cancelled plan that never names the product is missed. Across all 1,123 narratives, 87 mention cancelling something and 95 mention a refund, but those two counts are not limited to protection products.

Where the 92 were filed matters if you search the database yourself. Only 27 sit under the main add-on sub-issue and 4 under the other add-on label. Others were filed as billing problems (11), changes in terms mid-deal or after closing (8) and problems paying off the loan (6). Get cancellation terms in writing: see [cancelling a plan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#cancel) and [how cancellations go wrong](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#cancellation).

## Honda Care, a third-party contract, or neither

Whether a service contract is worth buying at all is covered in [our guide to whether an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/#worth-it). On a Honda the question narrows. The factory warranty already covers the powertrain to 5 years or 60,000 miles, so check what a plan adds on top of that, and from when.

If you are comparing Honda Care with a contract from an independent company, three questions decide most of it. Who is the obligor, and is it registered where you live? Where can the repair be done, and with which parts? Who authorizes the claim? For Honda Care, the brochure answers the first two: it names the provider, and it sends repairs to Honda dealers using Honda Genuine Parts. A third-party contract may name a separate administrator who takes the claim call and a different company that holds the money. Both Honda brochures print a Florida license number. Florida’s regulator licenses service agreement companies, so a number like that can be checked. Our guide to [what a state register will tell you](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#check-the-register) explains how.

For an older Honda past the Term Protection buying window and the factory terms, the remaining routes are a third-party contract or, from some insurers, [mechanical breakdown insurance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/mechanical-breakdown-insurance/). Price is the part neither brochure helps with. [Why the cheapest plan is not always the cheapest](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/#administrator) explains why the administrator matters as much as the number. On a Honda, the checklist below settles most of it.

- **Get the VIN lookup in writing.** Ask a dealer to list which warranties are still in force, when each ends, and any adjustment program that applies.
- **Find out which contract it is.** American Honda Protection Products Corporation owes Honda Care. Safe-Guard Products International owes Term Protection. A third-party contract names its own obligor.
- **Get the four missing numbers.** The term, mileage limit, deductible and price should be on the contract, because the brochure doesn’t print them.
- **Check where repairs happen.** Honda Care repairs go to a Honda dealer. An authorized center is used only if no dealer is within towing distance.
- **Check the overlap.** Term Protection won’t pay for a mechanical breakdown the factory warranty covers. Honda also adjusts the alignment free for the first year or 12,000 miles, so check what the plan’s one alignment adds.
- **Settle cancellation first.** Term Protection charges a fee if you cancel after 30 days. Ask where any refund goes if the plan is in your loan.
- **Decide about arbitration.** If you want to opt out of the factory booklet’s arbitration clause, the letter is due within 30 days of delivery.

Calls saying your warranty is expiring are a separate issue. In 2022 the FTC sued American Vehicle Protection Corp, a Florida seller it alleged had falsely claimed to be, or to be associated with, consumers’ carmakers or dealers, and had promised bumper-to-bumper or full coverage that was much more limited than represented. A stipulated order in March 2023 and a further order that July banned defendants from selling extended auto warranties and from outbound telemarketing. In 2024 the FTC sent more than $449,000 in refunds to consumers. See [what regulators have done](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-warranty-companies/#enforcement).

## Common questions

### How much does the Honda extended warranty cost?

Honda’s 2023 Honda Care brochure prints no price, deductible, maximum term or mileage limit, so there is no Honda list price to quote. The price comes from the dealer’s quote and should be printed on the contract with your VIN. Our guide to [extended car warranty cost](https://baronauto1.com/financing/extended-car-warranty-cost/) explains what moves the number.

### Does Honda offer a 10-year extended warranty?

Not in anything we recorded. The Honda Care brochure prints no maximum term. The only 10-year terms in Honda’s 2025 booklets are factory coverages in the 17 California-emissions states: the SULEV high-voltage battery, if equipped, and the Accord Hybrid battery module, each at 10 years or 150,000 miles. Ask the dealer for the longest Honda Care term on offer for your car, and make sure it is in the contract.

### What company does Honda use for its extended warranty?

Honda Care is provided by American Honda Protection Products Corporation, or by American Honda Service Contract Corp. in Florida. Honda Care Term Protection is owed by Safe-Guard Products International, LLC, or Safe-Guard Warranty Corporation in Florida. The factory warranty itself comes from American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

### Is Honda Care transferable to a new owner?

The Honda documents we recorded don’t settle it for the main Honda Care contract, so check the transfer clause in the contract itself. Term Protection can pass to a private buyer for a fee if they take over your finance agreement. The factory booklet says the seat belt warranty can’t be transferred, and it is silent on whether the others pass on.

### Is a Honda extended warranty worth getting?

It depends on what the contract adds beyond the 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty, what it costs and who owes it. Get the four numbers the brochure leaves out and check the obligor. Remember that Term Protection won’t pay for a mechanical breakdown the factory warranty covers. Our guide to [whether an extended warranty is worth it](https://baronauto1.com/financing/is-an-extended-warranty-worth-it/) walks through the arithmetic.

## Sources and further reading

- [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/)
- [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/)
- [FTC: auto service contracts and warranties](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/auto-warranties-and-auto-service-contracts)
- [FTC: a businessperson’s guide to federal warranty law](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/businesspersons-guide-federal-warranty-law)
- [15 U.S.C. § 2301 (Magnuson-Moss definitions)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2301)
- [15 U.S.C. § 2308 (Implied warranties)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2308)
- [Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — service contract providers, Occupations Code Chapter 1304](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/scp/scpfaq.htm)
- [Florida CFO — motor vehicle service agreements, Chapter 634](https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/understanding-insurance/motor-vehicle-service-agreement-overview)
- [FTC v. American Vehicle Protection Corporation — case docket](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/2023103-american-vehicle-protection-corporation)
- [FTC — industry ban and judgment, American Vehicle Protection](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/ftc-action-leads-lifetime-industry-ban-operators-extended-vehicle-warranty-scam)
- [FTC — refunds paid to consumers harmed by an extended vehicle warranty scheme](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/ftc-sends-more-449000-consumers-harmed-extended-vehicle-warranty-scam)
- [FTC withdrawal of the CARS Rule (91 FR 6507)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/12/2026-02866/revision-of-the-negative-option-rule-withdrawal-of-the-cars-rule-removal-of-the-non-compete-rule-to)

Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it.

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