June 19, 2018—General Motors (GM) does not approve the use of aftermarket, reconditioned or salvage bumpers or fascias on vehicles equipped with ADAS, according to a recent position statement released by GM.

Aftermarket, reconditioned or salvage bumpers and fascias may have different material specifications than what was designed, tested and validated for use with ADAS, according to the statement.

GM 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 (Noise, Vibration and Harshness), occupant protection, and vehicle safety. The overall structural integrity of the vehicle is dependent on maintaining its inherent design specifications. 

GM is limiting repairs to bumpers an fascias with ADAS to topcoat refinish only. Further, topcoat refinish material thickness of repaired ADAS bumper fascia systems must not exceed 13 mils in thickness. Any repairs such as gouges, tears or damage that requires the use of substrate repair material or reinforcement tapes must be avoided.  

Primer and topcoat refinish methods can be employed on ADAS equipped bumper systems, provided the total paint mil thickness on any portion of the bumper/fascia does not exceed 13 mils. It is necessary that a non-metallic paint film thickness tool be used post repair to ensure material film build on part does not exceed 13 mils in thickness.

Examples of ADAS technology include:

• Ultrasonic Blind Spot Detection
• Integrated Brake Assist
• Rear Emergency Braking
• Automatic Collision Preparation
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Adaptive Cruise Control

Reconditioned bumpers and fascias available in the aftermarket may have been repaired using substrate repair “filler material” or reinforcement tapes and as such GM does not endorse the use of reconditioned ADAS bumper, fascia systems. Only Genuine GM ADAS bumpers/fascias and components are tested and validated as a safety system.