August 30, 2010—American Honda’s recent claims that the use of aftermarket parts during a repair could cause car owners to lose warrantee coverage prompted the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to make a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The AAIA says that making such claims violates the Magnuson-Moss Warranty ACT, which prohibits companies from setting warrantee conditions for the use of non-original parts. The claims are misleading to consumers, according to an AAIA statement. The association is asking that Honda retract its statements and issue a correction stating that the use of aftermarket parts will not violate an owner’s warrantee.
“To our knowledge, Honda has provided no specific evidence to support their claim that there are problems with use of non-Honda aftermarket parts for their vehicles,” said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of AAIA. “Or that use of such parts creates warranty-related issues for their customers.”
