By MyAutoResource Editorial Team · Reviewed by Steven Sun · 7 min read · Updated September 28, 2026
- Manufacturers sometimes extend coverage on a known, recurring defect years after the printed warranty expires, through what the industry calls an adjustment program, and what consumer advocates call a secret warranty.
- Only four states, California, Connecticut, Virginia, and Wisconsin, legally require a dealer to tell you if one of these programs applies to the condition you’re bringing in for repair.
- Nissan’s own 2020 campaign bulletin is a real, documented example. It extended coverage on the continuously variable transmission (CVT), an automatic transmission type common on many Nissan models, from 60 months and 60,000 miles to 84 months and 84,000 miles. The extension covered the 2012-2017 Versa, 2014-2017 Versa Note, 2013-2017 Sentra, 2013-2016 Altima, and 2013-2017 Juke, after the original coverage had already run out for many owners.
- A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) search by your vehicle identification number (VIN), the 17-character code unique to your car, shows you recalls and technical service bulletins for free, but it does not show you whether a manufacturer adjustment program exists for your specific condition. That’s the part you usually have to ask for directly.
A manufacturer’s adjustment program, often called a secret warranty, pays for repairs on a known defect after the printed warranty has expired. It isn’t listed anywhere a car owner would normally look, and in most states nobody is required to tell you it exists unless you happen to ask the right question.
David’s 2015 SUV had 71,000 miles on it when the transmission failed in a grocery store parking lot in August 2026. The dealership quoted him $4,800 for a replacement and told him his powertrain warranty had expired at 60,000 miles, four years earlier. He paid it. Two months later, a friend mentioned that his own automaker had quietly extended transmission coverage on the exact same defect a few years back, no advertising, no recall notice, just a letter mailed to whoever happened to still be listed as the owner on file.
In this article
- What an adjustment program actually is
- Four states force a dealer to tell you
- Technical service bulletin, recall, adjustment program, or extended warranty: not the same thing
- How to actually find out before you pay
- Frequently asked questions
What an adjustment program actually is
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that tracks vehicle safety issues, explains that manufacturers routinely issue technical service bulletins, internal documents telling dealers how to diagnose and fix a known problem. Bulletins aren’t secret. You can search them by VIN on NHTSA’s own site, for free, alongside any open recalls.
An adjustment program is a different animal. It’s when the manufacturer decides to pay for, or partly cover, repairs on that known problem beyond what the printed warranty promises, without a public recall and without posting the terms anywhere a car owner would find them on their own. That’s the part with no central public database, which is exactly why it earned the “secret warranty” nickname decades ago.
This isn’t a hypothetical. Nissan’s actual May 2020 campaign bulletin, filed with NHTSA, extended CVT transmission coverage on the 2012-2017 Versa, 2014-2017 Versa Note, 2013-2017 Sentra, 2013-2016 Altima, and 2013-2017 Juke from its original 60 months and 60,000 miles to 84 months and 84,000 miles. Nissan said it would notify eligible owners by mail and would even reimburse owners who had already paid for a covered CVT repair before the extension was announced. That’s a real adjustment program, filed with a federal agency, and it never once appeared on a recall notice.
Four states force a dealer to tell you
| State | Statute | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| California | Civil Code § 1795.90-1795.93 | Dealer must disclose an adjustment program’s terms to a consumer seeking repair for a covered condition, and post notice of how to obtain service bulletins. |
| Connecticut | General Statutes § 42-227 | Manufacturer must notify eligible owners by mail within 90 days of adopting a program; dealer must disclose known programs at time of repair. |
| Virginia | Code § 59.1-207.34 to .39 | Manufacturer must give written notice of the right to an adjustment program; dealer must disclose terms once informed of a bulletin. |
| Wisconsin | Statute § 218.0172 | Manufacturer must notify eligible owners by mail within 90 days of adoption and notify dealers within 30 days; dealer must disclose at time of repair. |
Outside those four states, nothing legally forces the dealer to volunteer this information. That doesn’t mean the program doesn’t apply to your car. It means the burden is on you to ask for it by name.
Technical service bulletin, recall, adjustment program, or extended warranty: not the same thing
| Term | Who pays | How to find it | Legally required to disclose? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recall | Manufacturer, always free | NHTSA VIN search, free | Yes, nationwide |
| Technical service bulletin (TSB) | You, unless a program applies | NHTSA VIN search, free | Public by default |
| Adjustment program (goodwill / secret warranty) | Manufacturer, if you qualify | Ask the dealer or manufacturer directly | Only in CA, CT, VA, WI |
| Third-party extended warranty | You, through a premium you already paid | Your own contract paperwork | N/A, it’s a product you bought |
How to actually find out before you pay
Start with a free NHTSA VIN search for open recalls and published technical service bulletins on your exact car. A bulletin describing your symptom is a strong sign a repair procedure, and possibly a coverage program, already exists for it. Then call the manufacturer’s owner-service line directly and ask, by name, whether any “special coverage,” “warranty enhancement,” “customer satisfaction program,” or “goodwill assistance” applies to your VIN. Don’t ask a dealer’s service advisor a vague “will this be covered” question; ask the specific question using the manufacturer’s own program language. If you’re in California, Connecticut, Virginia, or Wisconsin, you can also point to your state’s disclosure statute directly if a dealer seems reluctant to check. Consistent service history at an authorized dealer, even after the paid warranty ends, tends to help a goodwill request, since it shows the manufacturer a documented pattern rather than a one-time complaint.
Before you write off a repair as fully out of pocket, it’s also worth checking whether your car’s problem traces back to something with its own paper trail. What Actually Triggers a Repossession explains a different set of manufacturer and lender obligations worth understanding if a big repair bill lands at the same time money is already tight. And if the car came with rental history you weren’t told about, Rental Fleet History and Used Car Warranty covers how that can quietly shrink your factory coverage window in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
Is a secret warranty the same thing as a recall? No. A recall addresses a safety defect, is always free, and is published nationwide through NHTSA. An adjustment program, the formal name for a secret warranty, covers a durability or reliability problem that isn’t a safety defect, and it isn’t published in any central database.
How do I find out if my car has a technical service bulletin? Search NHTSA’s free VIN lookup tool. It shows recalls and manufacturer communications, including many technical service bulletins, for your exact vehicle identification number.
Do I have any legal right to know about a goodwill program if I don’t live in one of the four states? No enforceable state disclosure right, no. Your only real recourse is to ask the manufacturer directly and be specific about the program language you’re asking for, since nothing requires them to volunteer it in most states.
Does buying the car used change whether I qualify for an adjustment program? Usually not. Most programs are tied to the vehicle identification number and its mileage or age, not to the original purchaser, though you should confirm this with the specific manufacturer since terms vary program to program.
Is it worth calling the manufacturer even years after the warranty expired? Often yes, especially for a documented, well-known defect. Manufacturers sometimes extend coverage years after the original warranty date specifically because the same failure kept showing up across many vehicles, which is exactly what happened with Nissan’s CVT program.
