Guarantees and Product Warranty

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Guarantees and product warranty

Caterpillar dealer performance guarantees

We have provided an indemnity to a third-party insurance company for potential losses related to performance bonds issued on behalf of Caterpillar dealers. The bonds have varying terms and are issued to insure governmental agencies against nonperformance by certain dealers. We also provided guarantees to third-parties related to the performance of contractual obligations by certain Caterpillar dealers. These guarantees have varying terms and cover potential financial losses incurred by the third parties resulting from the dealers’ nonperformance.

In 2016, we provided a guarantee to an end user related to the performance of contractual obligations by a Caterpillar dealer. Under the guarantee, which was set to expire in 2025, non-performance by the Caterpillar dealer could require Caterpillar to satisfy the contractual obligations by providing goods, services or financial compensation to the end user up to an annual designated cap. This guarantee was terminated during the first quarter of 2022. No payments were made under the guarantee.

Supplier consortium performance guarantee

We provided a guarantee to a customer in Europe related to the performance of contractual obligations by a supplier consortium to which one of our Caterpillar subsidiaries was a member. The guarantee covered potential damages incurred by the customer resulting from the supplier consortium's non-performance. The damages were capped except for failure of the consortium to meet certain obligations outlined in the contract in the normal course of business. The guarantee expired during the second quarter of 2022.

We have dealer performance guarantees and third-party performance guarantees that do not limit potential payment to end users related to indemnities and other commercial contractual obligations. In addition, we have entered into contracts involving industry standard indemnifications that do not limit potential payment. For these unlimited guarantees, we are unable to estimate a maximum potential amount of future payments that could result from claims made.

No significant loss has been experienced or is anticipated under any of these guarantees. At September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the related recorded liability was $3 million and $5 million, respectively. The maximum potential amount of future payments that we can estimate (undiscounted and without reduction for any amounts that may possibly be recovered under recourse or collateralized provisions) and we could be required to make under the guarantees was as follows:


(Millions of dollars)	September 30, 2022		December 31, 2021
Caterpillar dealer performance guarantees	$	137	$	747

Supplier consortium performance guarantee	17		242

Other guarantees	284		232
Total guarantees	$	438	$	1,221

Cat Financial provides guarantees to purchase certain loans of Caterpillar dealers from a special-purpose corporation (SPC) that qualifies as a variable interest entity. The purpose of the SPC is to provide short-term working capital loans to Caterpillar dealers. This SPC issues commercial paper and uses the proceeds to fund its loan program. Cat Financial receives a fee for providing this guarantee. Cat Financial is the primary beneficiary of the SPC as its guarantees result in Cat Financial having both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the SPC’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses, and therefore Cat Financial has consolidated the financial statements of the SPC. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the SPC’s assets of $1.09 billion and $888 million, respectively, were primarily comprised of loans to dealers, and the SPC’s liabilities of $1.09 billion and $888 million, respectively, were primarily comprised of commercial paper. The assets of the SPC are not available to pay Cat Financial’s creditors. Cat Financial may be obligated to perform under the guarantee if the SPC experiences losses. No loss has been experienced or is anticipated under this loan purchase agreement.

We determine our product warranty liability by applying historical claim rate experience to the current field population and dealer inventory. Generally, we base historical claim rates on actual warranty experience for each product by machine model/engine size by customer or dealer location (inside or outside North America). We develop specific rates for each product shipment month and update them monthly based on actual warranty claim experience.

The reconciliation of the change in our product warranty liability balances for the nine months ended September 30 was as follows:


	First Nine Months
(Millions of dollars)	2022		2021
Warranty liability, beginning of period	$	1,689	$	1,612
Reduction in liability (payments)	(589)		(638)
Increase in liability (new warranties)	562		716
Warranty liability, end of period	$	1,662	$	1,690