Cars last longer now, so this may not be as bad as it sounds. The real issue is whether people are ending up underwater on their vehicles - that is, are loan lengths increasing faster than depreciation curves are flattening.
But is there any study that says the components or designs are needing less repairs or are getting cheaper to maintain over that 12.8 year period as opposed to, say, an econobox sedan from 2005?
Is a modern family car with GDI, CVT, plastic oil pan, infotainment system, and litany of safety sensors going to last as long without bankrupting its owner as an equivalent product from a comparable market segment 20 years ago?
My family's limited experience with powertrain warranties is that they don't mean anything. The manufacturer put a junk engine in my Dad's truck at the factory. When they replaced it, they replaced it with a junk engine. When confronted with this, the dealer claimed it was not reasonable for a replacement engine to run without issues. Neither made it 30,000 miles.
Honda from 2005 could last 10 years in Quebec and Honda from 2015 could last 10 years. I don't have huge stats, but it seems that cars are about as reliable today as they were 20 years ago. I didn't notice them to be more reliable.