A duct extensionFront skid plateRadiator support coverEngine wiring harness
I have submitted an online application to the manufacturer and provided the necessary information. In response I was told that the manufacturer is not responsible for the delays because I was involved in an accident – really? I was not involved in an accident voluntarily, it was “an accident” and it is not my fault or the insurance company that parts are unavailable for four to five months.
I am facing a $4,000 expense for a rental while my vehicle is in the store. The manufacturer should either give me a rental car or forgive my payments until those parts arrive. If they sell a vehicle, they have to make sure parts are available when needed or provide a loaner car – or just don’t sell it.
—HP
Dealing with auto parts delays
Automakers can certainly do their best to cover the cost and inconvenience of long delays for replacement parts. Appropriate compensation is usually a replacement vehicle, but some automakers occasionally credit a lease customer with payments to cover the period during which they lost use of the vehicle. In 2019, after the CBC reported Toyota was leaving customers behind, the automaker stepped up to compensate owners affected by an issue with parts delays attributed to a failed conversion to a new inventory management system. And Mazda automatically provided replacement vehicles while customers waited for new front crossmembers for a safety recall on the Mazda 6. In some cases, coverage was up to six months and the rental bill was close to the value of the recalled cars that were about 10 years old.
Compare personalized quotes from Canada’s top auto insurance companies. All in less than 5 minutes with ratehub.ca. Let’s start. *You are leaving MoneySense. Just close the tab to return.
Consumers occasionally report long delays of parts to the Automobile Protection Association (APA). Of the major brands, Tesla (collision repair parts), Toyota, Kia, Ford, Ram, Jeep and Fiat were responsible for a larger share of complaints in recent years. This is usually a result of cost savings or poor internal management. Complaints about unavailable replacement parts increased significantly in 2021/2022 due to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shipping bottlenecks.
The automaker’s obligation for late auto parts
Michael Turk, an attorney who advises APA members, provided the following guidance regarding the automaker’s obligation to provide replacement parts:
“Nothing in Ontario law specifically addresses the issue of replacement parts availability, but there is an implied warranty that parts will be reasonably available. It is obvious to start with compensation for loss of use. I’m not sure how the courts will deal with COVID – there may be an argument for force majeure in circumstances likely beyond a manufacturer’s control. Even then, a judge could rule that ‘We agree with you, but what have you done to compensate your customer?…’ (In situations like the one with your Seltos, the automaker may supply the same components to their factory to purchase new ones. assembling vehicles so that the parts clearly exist – and those vehicles are shipped to Canada, so the shortage of parts for a collision repair seems to be surmountable.)
From a mitigation standpoint, Mr. Turk suggests that you do what you can to get your vehicle back on the road. “I wouldn’t hang up my cap because the parts come exclusively from the car manufacturer; I would also look into the scrap market as a source of parts. My concern is solving a shortage of parts that makes the vehicle unusable.”
This post How car companies should handle parts that are backordered
was original published at “https://www.moneysense.ca/spend/shopping/auto/car-parts-backordered-kia-seltos/”