Payam Motabar 1, Helmuth E. Gonzalez2, Peter Rundle3, Michael G. Pecht4
1Northrop Grumman, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090, USA
2United Technologies Corporation, Carrier, Indianapolis, IN 46231, USA
3Rundle Law Corporation, Irvine, CA 92606, USA
4CALCE, Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA
Abstract:
In 2015, General Motors (GM) announced, it was reducing its powertrain warranty from five years/100 000 miles to five years/60,000 miles. GM stated that warranty coverage did not influence
consumers' decision-making process when purchasing a new vehicle. However, this paper presents an
alternative perspective, offering insight into GM's decision by exploring the historical trends for powertrain
warranty coverage, including a timeline of events at GM, a synthesis of GM's revenue, and market share
before and after its decision, analysis of the financial impact on GM of recalls leading up to the decision,
and an examination of the organizational culture at GM and its influence on employee effectiveness.