Layken Standing thought she was buying peace of mind when she paid about $40,000 for a barely used 2022 Ram pickup. After all, it had just 13,000 miles on the odometer. The truck still carried what she believed was a factory warranty. That’s a major selling point for any used vehicle. She signed the papers and took it to her Boise, Idaho home.

But a few months and several mechanical meltdowns later, Standing learned that her warranty was worthless on U.S. soil.

Her Ram began misbehaving almost immediately

The electronics went wild, and the engine started burning oil faster than she could top it off.

Eventually, the engine failed entirely. A repair estimate came in between $10,000 and $15,000. 

When she called to schedule warranty work, the answer floored her: the factory coverage didn’t apply.

See, her Ram had originally been sold in Canada.

Ram, like many automakers, does not honor factory warranties on vehicles that were first sold outside the United States

The policy affects imports from Canada and Mexico. Manufacturers say the differences in equipment standards and pricing between countries justify the restriction.

The thing is, U.S. dealerships import thousands of nearly new trucks each year.

The result often leaves buyers like Standing paying for repairs they thought were covered.

Truck demand remains red hot in the U.S., with nearly 8,000 new pickups sold every day

That demand has pushed some dealers to source inventory from north and south of the border. 

Dealers are required by federal law to disclose a vehicle’s country of origin and warranty status. 

Boise Subaru and used car dealer Rob Studebaker explained that his store makes that information clear on the window sticker and even includes a limited in-house warranty. The warranties his dealership offers are backed by that store, not the manufacturer.

Standing Idaho News 6 that her seller didn’t make the same effort.

In the fine print, the Ram was listed “as is”

This legally protects the dealer even if the buyer assumes factory coverage still applies.

Luckily, her supplemental insurance covered most of the engine replacement. Without it, she’d be stuck with a dead truck and a car payment.

Checking a used vehicle’s country of origin before signing anything

The VIN’s first number tells the story: 2 for Canada, 3 for Mexico, and 1, 4, or 5 for the U.S. 

Otherwise, a “lightly used” vehicle could come with a mighty heavy repair bill.