State Farm Decision Misleads Public on Automotive Aftermarket Parts Industry
6 October 1999
State Farm Decision Misleads Public on Automotive Aftermarket Parts IndustryBETHESDA, Md., Oct. 5 -- The recent decision against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. in a class action lawsuit in Illinois was not about all automotive aftermarket parts, as was widely reported, but about a small segment of the aftermarket parts business. Sheet metal parts, the focus of the lawsuit, are used for exterior repairs on vehicles. The aftermarket parts industry generates $264 billion annually. Sheet metal parts represent only 1.8 percent of the aftermarket and are typically sold through body shops. "The casual reference to 'aftermarket parts' in the recent Illinois legal decision against State Farm infers that other aftermarket products and services, such as under-the-hood repair parts, are guilty by association, which is not true," said Gene Gardner, Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association president. "On the contrary, most parts purchased for cars used in auto racing are aftermarket parts, because of their reputation for quality, innovation and durability." Many original equipment (OE) replacement parts sold through car dealerships and to independent repair facilities are produced by independent parts manufacturers -- not car companies -- that market those same products under their own brands in the aftermarket. In addition, a significant number of aftermarket parts manufacturers have long-established reputations for their innovative engineering improvements over the parts used to build the OE manufacturer's typical new car. The lawsuit was brought by auto insurance policyholders against State Farm, the nation's largest insurer. Policyholders claimed that State Farm used inferior aftermarket sheet metal parts instead of more expensive OE parts without informing the insureds. An Illinois jury found that State Farm failed to perform its contractual obligations with insured motorists and awarded the plaintiffs approximately $456 million in compensatory damages. Punitive damages will be determined separately, and would be in addition to this amount. The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) is a Bethesda, Md.- based association whose member companies manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, tools, equipment, materials and supplies. The organization is comprised of manufacturers, distributors, jobbers, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers' representatives, and other companies doing business in the automotive aftermarket. AAIA formerly served the automotive aftermarket as ASIA and APAA.