DEARBORN, Mich. — Taking a page from the Korean automakers' playbook, Ford on Thursday turned its attention to increasing the warranty coverage on its vehicles.

"We were not competitive with our warranty coverage against the Asian manufacturers," admitted Cisco Codina, vice president for Ford's North American marketing, sales and service.

However, the Korean manufacturers still hold the record for powertrain warranties. Hyundai, for example, offers a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

"We felt when we looked at Hyundai's powertrain warranty, we offer a better value," said Codina. "Ours is transferable. Secondly, most people don't keep the cars that long. A good percentage of our vehicles are leased. This is direct input from the customer's viewpoint."

The powertrain warranty improvements, which start Friday, are part of a larger product program that includes improved standard safety equipment on Ford vehicles and a beefed-up roadside assistance program. The previous powertrain warranty on Ford and Mercury vehicles was the same as the three-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty for those brands. There is no change to the company's bumper-to-bumper warranties.

The new powertrain warranty "includes everything, including the [Ford] Shelby GT500," said Marty Collins, executive director of marketing for Ford and Lincoln Mercury. The new powertrain warranties are retroactive for people who have already purchased an '07 model, he said.

Ford also said it has eliminated the $100 deductible on its diesel trucks. Customers who purchase 2006 models after July 14 will be covered by a powertrain extended service plan similar to the new powertrain warranty, Collins said. On 2006 Ford and Mercury vehicles, the powertrain coverage extends to five years/60,000 miles; the '06 Lincoln models will come with an extended service plan of six years/75,000 miles. There will be a $100 deductible on the '06 models, the company said.