What Does the STIHL Warranty Cover? Terms, Exclusions, and Claims

STIHL warranty coverage repairs or replaces products that fail because of defects in materials or workmanship, for periods that run from three months to five years depending on the product, how it’s used, and where you bought it. Coverage applies only to the original retail purchaser of a product bought from an authorized STIHL dealer in the United States or its territories, and a long list of common problems — wear items, bad fuel, misuse, unauthorized repairs — fall outside what STIHL will fix for free.

How Long Your STIHL Product Is Covered

There is no single STIHL warranty period. Coverage depends on the product category and whether you’re using the tool at home or on the job. Professional-use periods are almost always shorter than consumer periods, and a few product lines are classified as professional-only with no consumer tier at all.

Gas-Powered Handheld Tools

Trimmers, blowers, edgers, brushcutters, and hedge trimmers carry a two-year warranty for both consumer and professional use. Standard MS chainsaws get one year for consumer use and three months for professional use. Top-handle MS-T chainsaws, designed for arborists, are professional-only and carry three months of coverage with no consumer tier.¹ TS cut-off machines and GS concrete cutters are also limited to three months regardless of use.²

Battery-Powered Equipment

Battery tools generally get longer coverage than their gas equivalents. Products in the AP, AK, and AS battery systems, along with their chargers, are covered for five years for consumer use and three years for professional use.³ Battery-powered accessories and attachments get one year. The MSA-T top-handle battery chainsaw and the TSA cut-off machine are professional-only and carry two years with no consumer tier.²

Mowers

Mower coverage is some of the longest STIHL offers but varies sharply by model:

Walk-behind RM 4xx mowers: five years consumer, one year professional.
Walk-behind RM 6xx and 7xx mowers: five years consumer; one year on the machine and three years on the Kohler Command Pro engine for professional use.
RMA battery push mowers: five years consumer, three years professional.
RZ 1xx and 2xx consumer zero-turn mowers: three years or 500 engine hours, whichever comes first.
RZ 5xx, 7xx, and 9xx professional zero-turn mowers: three years or 1,500 engine hours.
RZA and AZA battery zero-turn mowers: five years or 2,000 operating hours.
RMI iMOW robotic mowers: three years consumer, two years professional.

On zero-turn mowers, batteries, belts, blades, and tires are covered for only 30 days.⁴

Other Products

Pressure washers get two years for consumer use and one year for professional use.² Corded electric tools, including the MSE chainsaw, HSE hedge trimmer, and FSE trimmer, carry two years for both household and professional use. STIHL hand tools such as axes and shears are warranted for as long as the product or spare parts remain available, which is effectively open-ended. Separately purchased accessories and repair parts carry three months. Any product put into rental service is capped at three months.⁵

Doubling Your Warranty on Gas Products

You can double the standard warranty on many gas-powered STIHL products if you meet specific purchase conditions. At the time you buy the machine, you also have to buy either a six-pack of STIHL HP Ultra 2-cycle oil or at least one gallon of STIHL MotoMix premixed fuel. Both items must appear on the same invoice, the invoice must show the machine’s serial number, and the dealer must note the oil or fuel purchase in the electronic product registration.⁵

The double warranty applies only to machines used for personal, non-income-producing household purposes, and only to gas-powered products sold after January 1, 2011. It excludes TS cut-off machines, GS concrete cutters, top-handle chainsaws, pressure washers, walk-behind mowers, and zero-turn mowers. Products used commercially, professionally, or in rental service don’t qualify. A separate double-warranty program for battery products expired on December 31, 2025.⁵

What the Warranty Will Not Cover

The exclusions list is where most denied claims live. The warranty does not cover:

Routine maintenance items and services: spark plugs, air and fuel filters, lubricants, starter cords, carburetor adjustments, engine tune-ups, sharpening, valve adjustments, cleaning combustion deposits or spark arrestor screens, and winterizing.
Normal wear and environmental damage, including damage from dirt, debris, moisture, water mineral deposits, rain, snow, freezing, rust, corrosion, varnish, stale fuel, or carbon and oil deposits.
Fuel and lubricant problems, including gasoline with more than 10% ethanol (E15, E85, and similar), incorrect oil mix ratios, and lubricants STIHL does not recommend.
Misuse and neglect: accidents, impacts, abuse, mishandling, or failure to follow the operation, maintenance, and storage instructions in the manual.
Non-STIHL parts, modified STIHL parts, and any failure caused by those changes.
Battery issues from improper voltage, out-of-spec temperatures, improper charging, or batteries at the end of their useful life.
Improper service, including the use of impact wrenches or other wrong tools, incorrect assembly, or improper repair procedures.

These exclusions appear in the warranty policy effective January 1, 2026.¹

Where You Bought It Matters

STIHL only honors the warranty on products bought from authorized STIHL dealers in the United States or its territories.⁶ STIHL does not sell through big-box retailers or general online marketplaces; the authorized dealer network is the only sanctioned channel. A STIHL product bought from an unauthorized source has no warranty, and repairs performed by anyone other than an authorized dealer are not covered and can void the warranty on the parts involved.¹

The warranty is also non-transferable. Buy a used STIHL from a private seller and you do not inherit the remaining time. STIHL’s policy states that only STIHL Incorporated itself can transfer warranty rights to a later purchaser, and the company does not publish a specific process for doing so.⁵

Filing a Warranty Claim

Bring or ship the product to any authorized STIHL dealer in the U.S. or its territories. You’ll need proof of the purchase date, typically your original sales invoice, and STIHL can request a copy to verify coverage.² Product registration is recommended but not required. Dealers are supposed to register products electronically within ten days of sale, but if that didn’t happen your invoice still serves as proof.

If the claim qualifies, STIHL will repair or replace the product at no charge, with the choice between repair and replacement entirely at STIHL’s discretion. There is no refund option under the warranty. A repaired or replaced product is covered only for the remainder of the original warranty period, not a fresh term. Shipping or transportation to the dealer is your responsibility. If you can’t resolve an issue with your dealer, STIHL customer service is at (800) 467-8445.⁵

Emission Control Parts Have Their Own Warranty

Separate from the standard product warranty, STIHL provides a two-year emission control system warranty required by EPA and California Air Resources Board rules. It covers a defined list of emission-related components, including the carburetor, fuel pump, ignition system, muffler, catalytic converter, fuel tank, and fuel lines, for defects in materials or workmanship.⁷

Diagnosis, parts, and labor are covered at no charge when the work is done at an authorized dealer and a warranted part is found defective. If the dealer tests the machine and finds no defect, you pay for the emission test. Warranty repairs under this program must be completed within 30 days. In California, STIHL cannot deny an emission warranty claim solely because the owner lacks maintenance receipts, though coverage can still be denied for abuse, neglect, or unapproved modifications.⁸

The 7-Day Satisfaction Guarantee Is Not the Warranty

Don’t confuse STIHL’s seven-day satisfaction guarantee with warranty coverage. The guarantee lets you return or exchange select serial-numbered and non-serialized products within seven consecutive days of purchase, through the original selling dealer. The product has to be new, fully functional, undamaged, and in its original packaging with all accessories, and for gas products the fuel tank must never have contained fuel.⁹ Cut-off machines, concrete cutters, pressure washers, all mowers, and sprayers are excluded from the program.

Legal Limits on What You Can Recover

STIHL’s warranty states that the company is not liable for incidental or consequential damages. Implied warranties under state law, such as the implied warranty of merchantability, are limited to the duration of the applicable warranty period.⁵ The policy also notes that consumers may have additional rights under state law. Warranties on STIHL products sold through U.S. dealers are valid only in the United States and do not transfer between countries.¹⁰

1
STIHL USA. STIHL Incorporated Limited Warranty Policy – Handheld Gas-Powered Goods
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Northern Tool. STIHL Limited Warranty Coverage Chart
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STIHL USA. STIHL Incorporated Limited Warranty Policy – Battery-Powered Goods
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STIHL USA. STIHL Incorporated Limited Warranty Policy – Mowers
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STIHL USA. STIHL Additional Limited Warranty Policies and Procedures
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STIHL USA. Frequently Asked Questions – General
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STIHL USA. STIHL Emission Control Warranty Statements
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STIHL USA. California Exhaust and Evaporative Emissions Control Warranty Statement
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STIHL USA. Return and Cancellation Policy
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STIHL USA. Frequently Asked Questions – Limited Warranty