AAIA Defends Aftermarket Parts in Complaint to FTC

Association Claims Honda Violating Magnuson-Moss Act

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 30, 2010; A formal complaint has been made to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), responding strongly to recent position statements made by Honda regarding aftermarket parts. AAIA claims that Honda's statements - failure to use Honda replacement parts will cause consumers to lose warranty coverage on their vehicle - are a violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

In its complaint to FTC, AAIA claims that Honda's statements are a direct attempt to market replacement parts for Honda under the guise of an unsubstantiated warning to consumers regarding the use of non-original equipment parts.

"We request that FTC take immediate action to require that Honda withdraw the statement and issue a correction that use of non-Honda parts will not cause a owner to violate their warranty," said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO.

In a statement issued by American Honda for both its Honda and Acura vehicle lines on Aug. 20, they said, "American Honda will not be responsible for any subsequent repair costs associated with vehicle or part failures caused by the use of parts other than Honda Genuine parts purchased from an authorized U.S. Honda dealer."

"We contend that Honda's statements are in violation of prohibitions in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty-FTC Improvement Act (Public Law 93-637) from conditioning a consumer warranty on the use of non-original equipment parts, and are misleading to consumers regarding their rights and choices under the law," Schmatz said. "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 or that use of such parts creates warranty-related issues for their customers."

About AAIA

AAIA is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose more than 23,000 member and affiliates manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tool, equipment, materials and supplies. Through its membership, AAIA represents more than 100,000 repair shops, parts stores and distribution outlets.