Five years on the structure. No card to mail.
The whole warranty, stated plainly: what is covered and for how long, what is not, who pays freight, and exactly how to open a claim. There is no registration window to miss — keep your bill of sale and you are covered.
What our warranty covers.
The signed Limited Warranty is the controlling document, and your specialist walks it with you before your build is approved. This is what it says.
Five years on the aluminum structure for retail use, one year for commercial use, with no warranty registration to file.
The structure — main frame rails, crossmembers, tongue, structural welds, and the welded aluminum deck frame — is covered for five years from the retail purchase date, or one year for business, rental, or fleet use. Our installation of non-structural components is covered for one year. Axles, brakes, tires, jacks, couplers, and lighting carry their own manufacturers’ warranties. There is nothing to register: keep your dated bill of sale. Coverage is for the original purchaser and is not transferable, transportation costs are yours, and repairs need our written authorization first.
A claim does not automatically mean shipping the trailer back.
Send the VIN, photographs, and a description first. Rugged may repair or replace the covered part, supply parts to you, or work through a service facility Rugged approves. Written authorization is required before repair work begins.
What is covered, and for how long.
- Structure, retail use
- Five years from the retail purchase date against defects in materials and workmanship. Structure means the main frame rails, crossmembers, tongue or A-frame, structural welds, welded structural brackets, and the welded aluminum deck frame on Utility, Tilt, and Deckover models.
- Structure, commercial use
- One year from the retail purchase date for any business, rental, fleet, or other commercial use.
- Our workmanship
- One year from retail purchase on the workmanship of our installation of non-structural components.
- Third-party components
- Axles, hubs, brakes, tires, wheels, hydraulic pumps and cylinders on Tilt models, jacks, couplers, and lighting and wiring harnesses carry their own manufacturers’ written warranties. Those claims are made with the component manufacturer or its authorized service channel.
- No registration required
- There is no card to mail and no window to miss. Warranty cards exist because a factory that sells through a lot does not know who bought the trailer. We took your order ourselves, so your name, your VIN, and your purchase date were on file before the trailer was built. Keep your dated bill of sale anyway; if it is not available when a claim is reviewed, we can use the trailer’s date of manufacture to set the period.
- Who is covered
- The original retail purchaser named on the bill of sale — the person we sold it to, which is why there is nothing to register. Coverage does not transfer if the trailer is sold. Used, demo, and salvage-title trailers are sold as-is and are not covered.
What you maintain, and what we do not cover.
- What you maintain
- Inspect the trailer regularly, keep lug nuts torqued, maintain correct tire pressure and wheel bearing service, keep decks and frames clean, and correct known issues promptly. The Owner’s Manual carries the required inspection and maintenance intervals.
- Normal wear is not covered
- Tires, bearings, brakes and brake linings, bulbs, wiring adjustments, decking lumber, coatings and finishes, and cosmetic corrosion or discoloration.
- Use and loading
- Misuse, neglect, improper loading or tie-down, loading above the trailer’s GVWR, failure to torque lug nuts, off-road use, impact, and accidents are excluded — as are incorrect or underrated hitch equipment, towing beyond the tow vehicle’s rating, and excessive speed.
- Chemicals and salt
- Corrosion, pitting, or cosmetic deterioration from road chemicals, saltwater, fertilizers, or improper cleaning is excluded. Aluminum resists corrosion; it does not make the trailer immune to it.
- Modifications and unauthorized repair
- Alterations, non-Rugged parts, and repairs performed without our prior written authorization are excluded. Removing, altering, or defacing the VIN or certification labels ends coverage.
- The limit of our obligation
- Your exclusive remedy is repair or replacement of parts we determine to be defective in normal use, and our total liability will not exceed the trailer’s purchase price. Loss of use, rental charges, travel, and other incidental or consequential damages are excluded. New Hampshire law governs, with venue in Hillsborough County.
- Cancellation and refunds
- Your $500 reservation remains fully refundable until both you approve the exact written Build Order and your settled payments reach 25% of the approved order total.
How to open a claim, step by step.
- Start the claim
- Email warranty@ruggedat.com or call 603.324.7402 with your VIN, photographs, and a description of the issue.
- Get authorization first
- Get written authorization from us before any repair. Unauthorized repairs are not reimbursable, and we may ask for the parts back for inspection.
- How it gets fixed
- At our option we repair or replace the defective part, or supply parts to you or to a service facility we approve. Not every claim means shipping a trailer back to the factory.
- Who pays freight
- You do. Transportation, shipping, towing, travel, and similar costs are yours and are not covered by this warranty.
- Transit damage
- Transit damage is not a warranty claim. Note it on the delivery documents and report it to the carrier and to us within 24 hours of receipt.
- Safety defects
- If you believe your trailer has a defect that could cause a crash, injury, or death, tell us and also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or nhtsa.gov.