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Letter to the Editor

Ford Blows Whistle on Non-OEM Parts

The battle over non-OEM structural parts heats up as Ford puts its testing power to work on bumper parts and radiator core supports.

Ford Motor Company this summer picked up where Toby Chess left off.

Chess, a long-time industry trainer, touched off the latest wave of controversy surrounding non-OEM parts with demonstrations at the Col-lision Industry Conference (CIC) last November and January that showed some troubling differences between OEM and non-OEM structural and safety related parts.

Chess never argued that his demonstrations were scientific tests. He simply used a reciprocating saw to demonstrate that it was easier to cut through some non-OEM bumper parts than through the OEM parts they were designed to replace. Chess said that indicated to him that the non-OEM parts were made of mild steel while the OEM parts were made of ultra-high-strength steel.

Although in April Chess canceled a similar presentation, saying that he was concerned about a potential lawsuit, Ford offered its own data-laden “indictment” of some non-OEM structurals at CIC this summer.

Comparing Ford service parts to some corresponding non-OEM replacement bumper beams, bumper brackets, and radiator core supports, Ford cited some critical differences. Spot welds on some of the non-OEM parts did not meet Ford specifications, for example, and the type of material (as well as its thickness and weight) often differed from the OEM part.

The non-OEM radiator core support for the 2004-07 F-150, for example, was made in part out of plastic rather than magnesium and steel like the OEM service part.

A non-OEM replacement for the 2005-09 Ford Mustang’s single-piece ultra-high-strength steel bumper beams was found to be made of two mild-steel pieces welded together.

A non-OEM bumper bracket for the 2006-08 Ford F-150 was half as thick and weighed less than half what the OEM part weighed. That aftermarket part was priced at $35 compared to $41 for the OEM bracket.

“We’re putting these on the car to save $6 but jeopardizing the safety of these customers?” Ford’s Paul Massie asked in his presentation at CIC.

Massie, Powertrain and Collision Product Marketing Manager for Ford, said he believes that Ford’s analysis of the parts shows that they are not of equivalent “like kind and quality,” a requirement for replacement parts in 20 states.

But Massie also said that perhaps more important than comparison and testing of individual parts is to determine how they impact the overall response of the vehicle in a collision. Non-OEM bumper parts that are thicker or heavier than Ford parts, for example, Massie said, could affect airbag deployment just as much as those that are lighter or thinner.

That is why Ford engineers analyzed the non-OEM parts and conducted simulated computer modeling of their response in a crash, again finding significant differences.

"The use of these tested aftermarket copy parts will change the dynamics of the crash process resulting in a differing response from the vehicle safety systems than those calibrated by Ford Motor Company," the company concluded based on its research.

Massie said he hopes to see Ford do some actual crash testing of aftermarket parts, but recognizes that there is ample competition within the company for the research time and funds such testing would require.

“Our engineers, our resources, our safety department are all dedicated to building the next generation of Ford vehicles,” Massie said. “There aren’t extra resources to stop what they’re doing and look backwards. So the fact that they saw this as being important enough to examine, model, and simulate shows you the importance of this issue.”

Non-OEM parts suppliers, who have long argued that non-OEM parts provide much-needed parts price competition for automakers, were largely silent at the CIC in July. A representative of the Diamond Standard brand of non-OEM parts – many of which are made in the United States, certified by the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA), and considered by some to be of higher quality than many non-OEM parts – said that the Ford presentation "points to the continuing need for reform in the alternative parts industry."

Also speaking at CIC, Jack Gillis, executive director of CAPA, said his organization has seen poor quality non-OEM structural parts as well, as CAPA moves toward the development of a certification standard – expected to be finalized this fall – for non-OEM bumpers and structural parts.

Gillis played a video showing crash-testing of a Ford Fusion bumper energy absorber and a non-OEM absorber being sold as replacement for the Ford part. Gillis said although the two parts looked identical, even down to the marking indicating what type of plastic they were made from, lab testing showed the non-OEM part was actually made from a different type of plastic.

When crash tested at 6.1 mph, the OEM absorber deformed but sprang back. In the same test, the non-OEM version "literally exploded upon impact."

Gillis said that if the industry expects non-OEM structural parts to be comparable to OEM, "I think you can see from Ford's presentation and our presentation that your expectations may not be being met. And the critical thing is you cannot tell the difference by just looking at these parts."

Gillis and CAPA now face some competition of their own. As part of its effort to get ahead of the structural parts controversy, a second parts testing and certification program – backed by the parts manufacturers and suppliers – has been launched this summer. The organization announced its first certified parts – some Diamond Standard front steel bumpers – in the week following the CIC meeting.   o

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