Cummins guarantees its EGR engines in ink

Cummins
Cummins has announced an Uptime Guarantee to back all of the company’s heavy-duty on-highway truck engines, subject to the October emissions requirements. The program, which extends its guarantee to Canadian customers, puts in writing what Cummins has said all along-that its ’02 diesels are up to the task, and customers should be confident in the performance and reliability of the Cummins brand.

Under the guarantee, if any part on a customer’s ISX or ISM engine fails and can’t be repaired within a 24-hour period, Cummins not only will pay for the repairs, but also will provide a rental vehicle at no cost.

“The ISX engine is proven, tested and reliable. We certified this engine early, we’ve tested it thoroughly, and now we’re pleased to offer our customers an Uptime Guarantee on the ISX, as well as the ISM which will be certified later this fall,” said Tom Kieffer, Cummins executive director of marketing. “The cooled EGR subsystem, based on the already proven performance of the ISX and ISM engines, has undergone more real-world testing than any new product launch in our history.”

The company hopes the program will mitigate some of the industry’s pre-conceived concerns that EGR engines are still unproven in areas of reliability and long-term maintenance. That, and questions about cost and fuel economy, has kept some large fleets away from any of the ’02 engines for at least the near future.

In addition, Kieffer also announced three new extended warranty packages, which also cover the EGR components (cooler, valves, mixer, piping) and the new variable geometry turbocharger. The expanded warranties are offered at three levels: Total base warranty extended to three years/300,000 miles; an internal parts protection plan including all EGR equipment for four years/400,000 miles; and a major failure extended plan that includes major castings and forgings for five years/500,000 miles. Prices for the extended packages range from $800 to $1,800.