Warranty News Headlines
January 1, 2005 to today
- Allegiance Holdings to move Heritage Administration Services from Lincoln NE to Dublin OH.Lincoln Journal Star, December 31, 2005
- Two Alaskan contractors accused of making shoddy repairs plead guilty to conspiracy charges.
Anchorage Daily News, December 30, 2005- Country musician Willie Nelson touts the benefits of the biodiesel fuel he now uses in his Mercedes.
New York Times, December 30, 2005- Motor Vehicle Owner's Right to Repair Act would require carmakers to provide service and tool information to independent shops.
Laurel Leader, December 29, 2005- Massachusetts Turnpike Authority issues three-year warranty for electronic toll transponders.
Associated Press, December 28, 2005- Plaintiffs seek class action status versus Carlisle Tire & Wheel Co. in dispute over RV tire failures.
Associated Press, December 27, 2005- Directions Research survey finds only 26% would buy or lease a car manufactured by a bankrupt company.
Consumer Affairs, December 27, 2005- Memphis-area homebuilders cut back on home warranties; traditional 2-10 policies replaced with one-year terms.
WREG-TV Memphis, December 27, 2005- CA Magazine surveys 15 vendors of customer relationship management applications, and defines CRM.
CA Magazine, December 27, 2005- Dell advertises a Dimension 3000 desktop and an Inspiron 1000 notebook with only a 90-day warranty in Parade magazine.
The Inquirer, December 27, 2005- Fiber Optic Designs' Forever Bright LED Christmas lights last up to 200,000 hours and use less electricity.
Trentonian, December 26, 2005- Furniture makers can void the warranty if a power screwdriver is used for customer self assembly.
San Francisco Chronicle, December 26, 2005- SEC subpoenaes former Delphi CEO J.T. Battenberg III and a dozen other executives, lawyers say.
Detroit News, December 25, 2005- Mississippi builder says state lacks inspectors needed to enforce New Home Warranty Act.
Hattiesburg American, December 25, 2005- Italy's CNIPA office gives six ISPs official accreditation to deliver email carrying a legal warranty.
Italian Prime Minister's office via AGI, December 22, 2005- Toyota says warranty costs haven't risen despite doubling of US recall rate in 2005.
Detroit News, December 21, 2005- California Air Resources Board gets DaimlerChrysler to extend warranty coverage for catalytic converters on more than 90,000 light- and medium-duty trucks and vans from 1996-1999.
Press Release, December 21, 2005- DaimlerChrysler reaches $94 million settlement with EPA to repair defective emission controls on nearly 1.5 million Jeep and Dodge vehicles.
Associated Press, December 21, 2005- SAS ranks at the top of the list in the annual DM Review Readership Awards for Business Intelligence and Analytic Applications, and Business Performance Management and Web Analytics.
Press Release, December 21, 2005- General Motors discovers a seat belt defect on the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana through an analysis of warranty claims.
Associated Press, December 20, 2005- Fujitsu's responsibility for stock sale fiasco unclear; computer system's warranty likely expired.
Yomiuri Shimbun, December 20, 2005- Hawaii Insurance Division issues an order of liquidation for 1SourceAutoWarranty.com, PrimeGuard Insurance Co., First Assured Warranty Corp., and WarranteeWise Inc.
Press Release, December 19, 2005- Circuit City reports 3.8% of domestic sales is extended warranty revenue, same as in 2004.
Press Release, December 19, 2005- Warrantech selects Western Insurance Company and American Resource Insurance Company as underwriters after extending relationship with Great American Insurance Company.
Press Release, December 19, 2005- Gehl to increase earnings by 12 cents a share after resolving a warranty issue with a supplier.
Press Release, December 19, 2005- Continental Warranty co-sponsors Christmas party for needy children in Wilmington DE; George Adair plays Santa.
News Journal, December 19, 2005- Gripes about Apple's iPod warranty and repair policies reach Australia.
Sydney Morning Herald, December 19, 2005- Australian auto extended warranty company Promina looks to enter Asian market.
The Australian, December 18, 2005- Ford to lengthen warranty on intake manifolds to seven years and pay $735 to customers who already replaced defective units.
Associated Press, December 17, 2005- Cingular Wireless says aftermarket mobile phone faceplates can void the unit's warranty.
WRTV Indianapolis, December 16, 2005- New Zealand's Automobile Association to begin selling extended warranties.
Press Release, December 16, 2005- New "Welcome to Virginia" signs to be covered by a 12-year warranty.
Hampton Roads Daily Press, December 16, 2005- Overheating problem with New Zealand military's Pinzgauer vehicles is fixed, but new fans are too noisy.
New Zealand News, December 16, 2005- Blue plastic sheeting installed on hurricane-damaged roofs in Louisiana carries 30-day warranty.
Insurance Journal, December 15, 2005- Connecticut man fuels Volkswagen Jetta's diesel engine with used vegetable oil.
Danbury News-Times, December 15, 2005- Dec. 19 deadline to join Las Vegas class action lawsuit against partners of National Warranty Insurance Group.
Associated Press, December 15, 2005- Mark Brunelle's company, Hardware 4 Less, accused of selling counterfeit Compaq computers to nuclear labs.
Associated Press, December 15, 2005- Holiday Tree and Trim in Bayonne NJ sells artificial trees backed by a 50-year warranty.
San Francisco Chronicle, December 15, 2005- Ford's Power Stroke diesel engine drives up warranty costs.
Automotive News, December 14, 2005- Analysts say customers need to be sold on extended warranties, which Wal-Mart won't do well.
Dallas Morning News, December 14, 2005- Bobby Sutton joins Pete Stephens in allegedly deceptive garage door dealership chain that changes names to avoid warranty claims.
Tucson Explorer, December 14, 2005- Consumers represented by Handal & Associates sue Gateway over alleged defects in plasma TVs.
Press Release, December 13, 2005- Michigan townships choose 15-year warranties over five-year warranties for new sewage tanks.
Traverse City Record-Eagle, December 13, 2005- Symmetricom lengthens warranty on its Active Hydrogen Maser MHM 2010 to seven years to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Press Release, December 13, 2005- Apriso announces Version 9.3 of FlexNet manufacturing and logistics software, including a quality management system.
Press Release, December 13, 2005- LG monitor's three-year warranty preferred over Gateway's one-year warranty.
Philadelphia Inquirer, December 11, 2005- Ncompass to provide warranty service on computers state of West Virginia buys direct from Lenovo.
Charleston Gazette, December 9, 2005- Injunction filed against C.A.R.S. Protection Plus Inc. prohibiting diagnostic charges for Powertrain Value Limited Warranty claims.
Press Release, December 9, 2005- VAC Service sold to Bankers Warranty Group Inc., a subsidiary of Bankers Financial Corp.
Press Release, December 8, 2005- ServicePower?s Field Service Solutions Division to provide Sylvan Source with a warranty service solution.
Press Release, December 7, 2005- Sun Microsystems to sell three year service contracts along with new Sun Fire T1000 and T2000 system.
Press Release, December 6, 2005- Honey, they shrunk the warranty: some PCs and CE now sold with only 90-day coverage.
Bankrate.com, December 6, 2005- J.D. Power ranks Caterpillar C-15 heavy-duty truck diesel engine highest in customer satisfaction.
Press Release, December 6, 2005- Fitch Ratings revises outlook for Aon Corp. upwards from negative to stable.
Press Release, December 6, 2005- Customer says Microsoft Xbox 360 has a design flaw that causes it to overheat and freeze up.
Reuters, December 5, 2005- AMR Research says delaying an auto recall can cost $1 million per day; says Early Warning Systems can cut time by 40%.
Press Release, December 5, 2005- Firestone Tire & Service Centers in Washington to refund extended warranties sold in past two years.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 3, 2005- Motorpoint to provide first year of warranty coverage for Subaru models it sells in the UK.
Auto Industry, December 2, 2005- U.S. passenger car recalls fall in 2005, but Toyota and Ford see increases.
Detroit News, December 2, 2005- CNET asks: Should you pay for an extended warranty?
CNET.com, December 2, 2005- China's Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. makes its first domestic auto recall announcement; defective mirror light in Oriental Son won't shut off.
Asia Pulse, December 1, 2005- New Tango electric car carries 10-year warranty with on-site repairs.
EV World, December 1, 2005- Samsung lengthens computer keyboard and mouse warranties from one to two years.
Channel Times, December 1, 2005- Interface launches carpet tiles for schools, backed with a 20-year warranty.
Building Products News, December 1, 2005- Honda Marine introduces five-year warranty on engines ranging from the BF40 through the BF225 purchased between January 1 and April 3, 2006.
Press Release, 5-DecNovember 2005- Toyota's 40G campaign notifies Prius owners that hybrid battery may leak; one fire reported.
Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2005- Deceased musician Jerry Garcia's dishwasher and toilet to be sold "as is" on eBay.
BBC News, November 30, 2005- Warranty Direct UK releases list of failure rates and average repair costs for British cars.
Press Release, November 29, 2005 (Word file)- Discount retailer Costco is selling Dell desktops and notebooks with a three-year warranty.
CNET News.com, November 29, 2005- Analyst sees Best Buy's "Geek Squad" as an advantage vs. Wal-Mart when selling extended warranties.
St. Paul Pioneer Press, November 29, 2005- Nassau County Consumer Affairs Department reports a 350% increase this year in complaints regarding Sears.
WABC-TV New York, November 28, 2005- Domestic & General Group plc reports higher extended warranty revenues and lower claims rates for half-year ended September 30.
Press Release, November 28, 2005 (PDF file)- New York Attorney General won't press criminal charges against AIG's Maurice "Hank" Greenberg.
Bloomberg News, November 25, 2005- Asus enters the UK LCD monitor market with a one-year "zero bright dot" warranty.
PC Pro, November 24, 2005- Dell Inspiron and Dimension units sold through Costco carry two and three-year warranties.
Current Analysis, November 23, 2005- Palm Inc. shareholder Sagio Investments urges company to cut its warranty costs.
PDA News, November 23, 2005- Microsoft sells service contracts for the Xbox 360 console: US price is $25 for one year and $50 for two years.
Web Page, November 22, 2005- Microsoft sells service contracts for the Xbox 360 console: Canadian price is $26 for one year and $52 for two years.
Web Page, November 22, 2005- Microsoft sells service contracts for the Xbox 360 console: Australian price is $90 for one year and $180 for two years.
Web Page, November 22, 2005- GM, Ford and Chrysler compete with new rebates and promotions, including longer warranties.
CNN Money, November 21, 2005- Bombardier service center opens at the Dubai airport, to provide regional maintenance and warranty services for Learjet.
AME Info, November 19, 2005- Carfax now offers a free flood damaged vehicle lookup service on its Web site.
Decatur (IL) Herald & Review, November 18, 2005- Intel says computer chips causing problems in China are counterfeits.
People's Daily, November 18, 2005 - Two Alaskan contractors accused of making shoddy repairs plead guilty to conspiracy charges.
December 2005