Globe-Union was later bought out by Johnson Controls, who continued to manufacture the DieHard for Sears.

In its earliest years, the brand was guaranteed to last "forever," that is, as long as the original owner still owned the car in which it was originally installed, in contrast to traditional pro rata battery warranties.

In March 2001, Exide pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy charges and agreed to pay a fine of $27.5 million to end a federal criminal investigation into auto-battery sales to customers of Sears, Roebuck & Company.

The case arose from investigations and accusations that Exide conspired with Sears to sell used batteries as new to Sears customers and that Exide officials had paid bribes to conceal the fraud.

[5] On December 23, 2019, Advance Auto Parts announced that it had bought the DieHard brand for $200 million.