GM releases aftermarket parts and restraint system position statements

GM has issued new position statements on the use of aftermarket parts and salvaged or imitation supplemental restraint systems (SRS) and components. 

“GM vehicles, systems, and components are engineered, tested, and manufactured to help protect vehicle occupants and deliver the safety, durability, and performance expected of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles,” both statements say. “GM Genuine Parts are designed, engineered, tested, and validated by GM.”

The SRS statement adds that due to the critical nature of the design, GM does not support the use of any used, salvaged, or imitation parts for repair. Only new, genuine GM warranted parts should be used in repair. 

“Proper operation of the air bag system requires that any repairs to the vehicle be made with new, GM warranted parts,” the statement says. “Never use air bag parts from another vehicle or source.” 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an urgent alert last month that specifically asks the auto repair industry to look for counterfeit airbags with dangerous inflators that continue to kill consumers. 

The alert follows another one issued by NHTSA on Jan. 15. 

NHTSA is currently investigating DTN inflators, which it says have malfunctioned in crashes, sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes, and faces, killing or severely injuring people. 

As of the most recent February alert, NHTSA has determined nine deaths from 11 crashes involving counterfeit airbags. 

Last week, the family of a Utah teen killed by a counterfeit airbag filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a national used car dealership that had the salvaged vehicle repaired, according to a press release from Morgan & Morgan law firm. 

In the SRS position statement, GM says that all new GM vehicles are designed and built to meet or exceed all applicable federal motor vehicle standards. 

“Use of safety restraint system components, other than those specified, could result in degraded performance and, under some circumstances, could render the system inoperative,” the statement says. “A repair establishment that knowingly makes a regulated safety system inoperative violates the Safety Act and becomes liable accordingly.” 

It adds that the reuse of used or salvaged components brings into question the condition under which the safety restraint components were obtained and stored prior to use, the statement says. 

“Components could have been damaged or stored under unfavorable conditions that could compromise performance and reliability,” the statement says. 

The GM aftermarket parts position statement describes the parts as those produced by companies other than GM that have not been designed, engineered, tested, or validated by GM for use on its vehicles and whose conformity to its specifications cannot be confirmed by GM. 

Salvage or recycled/used parts are defined as parts removed from a previously damaged, flooded, burned, scrapped, or otherwise removed from a used vehicle, the aftermarket position statement says. 

Crush zones and structural integrity can be compromised due to prior damage or repairs because of the use of these non-approved parts, the statement says. 

The non-approved parts can also introduce unknown variations in materials, corrosion protection, and noise, vibration, or harshness (NVH) performance. 

The performance and integration of safety systems and other vehicle systems that were validated using GM genuine parts can be affected by the use of non-approved parts. 

Non-approved parts also can prevent proper traceability for safety recalls or service campaigns, the release says. 

CAPA, which certifies certain aftermarket parts, recently ended its monthly decertified parts list, leaving shops to individually look up each part to check its certification status. 

GM goes on to say in its position statement that because the company does not design, engineer, test or validate salvage, recycled/used, or aftermarket parts for use on GM vehicles, it cannot confirm that such parts meet GM safety, performance, or durability requirements. 

It adds that non-GM reconditioned parts, including re-manufactured, repaired, or refinished structural or safety components, are not designed, engineered, tested, or validated for reuse on GM vehicles. 

“Reconditioning processes may alter material properties, coatings, dimensions, energy-management features, or attachment points in ways that are not visible during routine inspection,” the statement says. 

The use of non-GM reconditioned parts can: 

• • “Replicate or compound prior to impact, corrosion, or fatigue damage that may not be apparent.
  • “Change how components manage crash energy, deploy airbags, or interact with adjacent structures.
  • “Introduce unknown variability in ADAS sensor mounting, calibration, and performance.
  • Create uncertainty in parts of traceability, including recalls and service campaigns.”

The statement said that it is for these reasons GM does not approve the use of non-GM reconditioned parts in collision, structural, or system-dependent repairs on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles. 

“Any damage, failure, or non-performance arising from the installation or presence of non-GM (aftermarket, salvage, recycled, reconditioned, or other) parts, accessories, or modifications is not-covered under the GM New Vehicle Limited Warranty or any GM service plans,” both statements say. “To ensure continued warranty coverage, GM requires that collision, structural, and system-dependent repairs utilize GM OE parts and GM approved procedures.”

GM recommends in the aftermarket statement that GM collision repair facilities, insurers, and consumers follow GM service information, approved repair procedures, and use genuine GM parts for all collision, structural, and system-dependent repairs to ensure that GM vehicles are returned as close as possible to their pre-collision condition and continue to perform as designed. 

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