Warranties differ on compressors, so it’s important to know what coverage you have. If you don’t have information on your warranty, it can be found online from the manufacturer.
The most common options are:
5 years: Cheaper ACs and base models from leading brands like the Lennox Merit Series.
10 years: The most common coverage for ACs from most leading brands.
12 years: Compressor warranties on some models from American Standard, Trane, Maytag and a few others.
Lifetime warranty: Some Goodman and Amana ACs in current use have lifetime compressor warranties.
Unit replacement warranties: Most warranties cover just the compressor. Heil, Tempstar and other ICP brands, Rheem, Ruud and a few other brands cover the compressor with a complete unit replacement guarantee. If the compressor fails, the entire outdoor unit, called a condensing unit, will be replaced.
Labor warranties are separate.