Chrysler LLC recently released a position statement on structural repair parts usage. The statement is as follows:

Chrysler LLC vehicles, systems and components are engineered, tested and manufactured to protect vehicle occupants based upon both government mandated and internal corporate requirements relative to durability, NVH, vehicle safety and occupant protection.

Chrysler LLC does not approve of or recognize structural repair procedures where authentic Mopar parts are not used for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. Any repairs performed not using Mopar parts (and not following published guidelines and procedures) may expose current or future vehicle owners and occupants to unnecessary risk.

When restoring a collision damaged vehicle to pre-loss condition, consideration must be given to the following:

• All structural distortion has been identified and corrected using appropriate structural straightening equipment (“frame rack”) and a three-dimensional measuring system.
• All damaged panels have been repaired or replaced.
• All replaced panels provide the as-built structural equivalence and corrosion protection of the original panels.
• Unless partial replacement procedures are documented in a Chrysler LLC publication, structural panels must be installed in their entirety – partial replacement or “sectioning” of panels may compromise vehicle structure.
• Chrysler LLC does not support the use or re-use of any structural component which has been removed from a vehicle previously damaged, flooded, burned, scrapped or removed from use for any other reason – commonly referred to as “salvage parts.” Mopar replacement parts are required to be equivalent to the originally installed parts and are tested to ensure these requirements are met. While some salvage parts may “appear” equivalent, there can be dramatic differences in the design and functional characteristics which cannot be determined by a visual inspection and which could have a negative effect on the vehicle occupants in a future collision event.
• Salvage components may have been affected by crash impact loads, incorrect, improper or inadequate disassembly and removal procedures, weathering or environmental exposure outside of that expected during normal use, flooding, smoke/heat damage, or abuse.
• Salvage components are not traceable should a component recall be required in the future.