The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) has taken issue with a recent position statement from Toyota warning against the use of recycled and aftermarket crash parts, saying if there were a "Chutzpah of the Year" award, it would go to the automaker.
ARA says it believes Toyota’s position statement is an attempt to boost sales of OEM parts and noted that recycled parts are OEM parts that are fully functional and often "identical" to original parts in many cases.
"Following the logic held by Toyota, the warranties of every one of their vehicles that has been involved in an accident could be in question given their assertion that parts that remain on a vehicle post collision ‘may’ only ‘appear equivalent,’" said ARA CEO Michael E. Wilson. "Toyota’s press releases have failed to cite any statistics indicating that recycled parts are more dangerous than new parts. What probabilities of safety issues with recycled parts is Toyota working with?"
ARA claims that continued efforts to limit collision repair choices will lead to higher repair costs and insurance premiums for consumers and that recycled parts are quality alternatives.
"We believe the statement released by Toyota continues to be part of a concerted effort among automobile manufacturers to limit competition in the automotive parts market by engaging in a continued campaign to undermine recycled OEM parts,” said Wilson.
According to the most recent Mitchell Repair Collision Data, new OEM parts accounted for 67.4 percent of all parts used in repairs, which represented a decline from previous quarters. In the second quarter of 2008, new OEM parts accounted for 74.4 percent of all parts used in repairs. ARA believes that much of this decline can be explained by consumers and the collision repair industry becoming better educated about quality part alternatives, such as recycled OEM parts.
"We believe that many, if not most manufacturers, are attempting to maintain their market power through inappropriate restrictive activities including issuing statements that their warranties will not cover the use of recycled parts," Wilson said.
More information:
Read Toyota’s position statement
Automotive Recyclers Association
