How long do USA auto manufacturers HAVE TO keep parts available ?

[3930dave]

OEM parts availability seems to be decreasing (vs. vehicle age) somewhat. Given how tightly a lot of the OEMs are integrated with the 2'nd tier and lower suppliers, when a OEM decides to drop a part, sometimes it is effectively gone from the market. Period.

Obviously a PITA for those of us who want/need to drive older vehicles.

After a bit of searching, all I came up with on US govt regs was a reference to emission warranties, at around 8 years.

united states - Are Auto Manufacturers required under US Federal Law to provide parts for a set period of time? - Skeptics Stack Exchange

Is anyone aware of current US govt regulations that stipulate a minimum period that an Auto manufacturer HAS TO supply parts for sale ? Emission related or otherwise.

I personally know of 2 recent examples of an 8 and 10 year old vehicle where the shift cable (automatic trani) is not available at all. Don't want to name the brand at this point (flamewar fuel), as I'm hoping for traction on the legislation end first....

But... if anybody wants to post the details of recent personal encounters with this issue.... no complaints about thread topic will be heard from me....

Rgds, D.

 

[mfreund]

Imho, the government has no right to tell a private company how long the HAVE to produce anything, unless safety related.

 

[PhilY]

I understand the concern as the average age of a vehicle on the road today in the US is 11.8yrs. In the end, this is what aftermarket suppliers and junk yards are for when you hit the 10+ year mark. With the ever changing technology to produce something, production lines keep on changing over. As the production equipment becomes obsolete, manufacturers try their best to be supportive of their customers who may need product one day in the future, but estimating the future need is not an exact science. Sometimes we can hit 10 years and sometimes we don't. It's a huge cost to tie up that amount of space for every possible product, which just gets translated to the end customer in the price. Either way, it's a huge liability for the company. I am in agreement that the gov. has no right to be in this space, and if they ever become more involved, please expect costs to shoot through the roof due to additional monitoring, paperwork, and ...

 

[schmism]

OEM parts availability seems to be decreasing (vs. vehicle age) somewhat. Given how tightly a lot of the OEMs are integrated with the 2'nd tier and lower suppliers, when a OEM decides to drop a part, sometimes it is effectively gone from the market. Period. Rgds, D.

You really only shop OEM parts? For every example you have of an OEM part not available, i have an example of an OEM part that had a bad design and the aftermarket replacement is of better quality because it addressed the issue vs the OEM which has no interest in making there parts better after the fact.

As a person who deals with antique cars, I can get every part on an 1930 Ford Model A victoria, every part on 60's MGB, 60s Austin Healey. As such I dont expect there to be ever issues getting parts for cars in the future. Shure Jay lenno has a few examples were they have to fabricate parts for one-off rare cares, but such things didnt exist in the 80's or 90's so it wont be a problem in the future.

 

[ultrarunner]

Outside of warranty issues... I don't see the obligation.

That said... some manufacturers are better than others... look at Deere and CAT... they have very good coverage going back decades.

I have Model A Fords and my Ford Dealer could still get me a new Carburetor 50 years after my car was built... same for points, condenser, etc.

Back when I was doing automotive arbitration cases we would run into parts availability issues on occasion... again, this was generally warranty related... in most cases a loaner vehicle was provided and in two instances a buy back with use deduction...

 

[HHR]

I've always thought the period was 7 years.

 

[Bird]

Many, many years ago, when my Dad owned an auto parts store, I think/thought that US law required the manufacturers to maintain a parts supply for 10 model years, but maybe that's not right.

At any rate, I've had a little personal experience lately. Less than a year ago (Oct. 2013), our 2002 model sedan had the driver's power seat go bad. No OEM parts could be located, but our dealer found guaranteed salvage parts and fixed it. Then a couple of months ago, the electronic module in the driver's door that controls the power door locks, truck release, etc. went bad. Extensive searching never found a replacement. Now that car had less than 80k miles on it, and I had no intention or need to replace it, but I started wondering what next will go with no parts available. As old as the car was, I really can't fault the manufacturer, but I sure do wish they'd had the necessary parts. But anyway, I traded it in for a slightly used 2014 model car.

 

[3930dave]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

If one buys/leases New, and doesn't hold a vehicle past 4-5 years, then all of this is a Don't Care.

No, I don't only buy OEM parts. The cars I was talking about were 8 and 10 year old Malibus. I can drive a car with a broken piece of trim, or most of the 'lectronic doo-dads not working.... but without a working shifter, all you have is a boat anchor. There are no cables available from any source, besides junk yards, for these vehicles. Fortunately, I own neither one.... but it was rather depressing watching my neighbour in his 80's having to consider scrapping an 8 year old car in great shape, that he would otherwise keep on the road for many more years.

Seems this is another use for vehicle specific forums..... Sticky Lists of NLA critical function parts. As cited here, you can often find better parts availability on 50+ y/o vehicles, than today's ones.

Caveat Emptor.....

BTW.... I'm not pro-big govt.... I'd rather that my tax dollars weren't used at all to prop up the automobile industry.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I've always thought the period was 7 years.

I'm with Bird.... I seem to remember 10 years from long ago, then recent "talk" about 7 years... but I can't find any actual legislation.

Rgds, D.

 

[murphy1244]

I'm with Bird.... I seem to remember 10 years from long ago, then recent "talk" about 7 years... but I can't find any actual legislation.

Rgds, D.

I also have heard it was 7 years. But they can make it cost a lot..

 

[tjkubota93]

I remember 10 years. Worked on morr than 1 car that needed an un-obtainable part. Specifics I remember are electric connectors and a camshaft. I try to buy cars and equipment that are super popular to avoid this problem.
It sure is a shame when the situation mentioned by the OP occurs.

 

[rswyan]

Certain emission components are federally mandated (I think under the Clean Air Act) to have an 8 year/80K mile warranty period - so obviously for vehicle manufacturers to comply with that, availability of certain parts would be required to repair/replace ones that had failed:

Emissions Warranties for 1995 and Newer Cars and Trucks - EPA

Beyond that, there may be some requirements under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act ... but I think a lot of it just simply goes back to the increase in the initial purchase cost of vehicles and manufacturers obtaining a competitive advantage by extending the coverage and duration of warranties.

 

[3930dave]

What little legislation I've found pertains to emission system performance. What is startling in that area is that the whole emission system is warrantied functional for only 24,000 miles. Many people drive more than that in the first year.

A factory cat is typically an expensive item. While it would be nice to get the part replaced under warranty, if I was stuck paying dealer rates for diagnosis at 25,000 miles I couldn't see myself purchasing a vehicle from that manufacturer again.

The work/time/$ involved in taking an older all-mechanical vehicle and only selectively adding technology as desired (ex. Megasquirt the engine) is starting to look better all the time.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I also have heard it was 7 years. But they can make it cost a lot..

All comes back to Who Pays ?

I know 2 people around my age who decided to not bother renewing their DL - both had clean driving records, but couldn't justify the cost of operating a car. Fewer young people bother to get a DL (Canada/USA, esp. urban areas), or just rent a car when they need one.

Pain, or No Pain. Once the pain level is high enough, some people will go another direction....

Rgds, D.

 

[art]

Slow or no movement of a part is the main reason they get out of the manufacturers parts systems. It happens in tractors and machinery as well. We have seen many parts even by the big boys that are not available other then at a bone yard unless you dare try to make your own.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I don't know about automobiles, but I do know that Harley Davidson has stated that they WILL NOT BE OBLIGATED to provide parts nor repair service for motorcycles over 10 years old. They do say that while they will not be obligated to provide such, parts and service MAY be available based on dealer stock and service availability.

How that applied to automobiles, tractors, etc., I don't know. Perhaps not at all.

 

[Capricious]

Other than some emmissions-related items, there are no laws (other than the laws of economics) that dictate how long replacement parts have to be made available.

Parts are available as long as there is money to be made from them.

 

[houstonscott]

The answer is ten years. HS

 

[Capricious]

The answer is ten years. HS

I am not seening that: What I am seeing is simply a requirement for manufacturers to "pay for repairs" during the
warranty period. One might assume, then, that parts would need to be available for that period.






"...Contrary to a widely held belief, though, car makers do not have to keep making parts for 10 years after ending production of a car or a line of cars..."

Should You Buy a Car That's on Death Row? - WSJ





"...The claim is false (or at least misleading) in almost all respects. However, as is often the case, it springs from a kernel of truth. Albeit a truth which is altogether rather more mundane and unremarkable in character..."

united states - Are Auto Manufacturers required under US Federal Law to provide parts for a set period of time? - Skeptics Stack Exchange

 

[3930dave]

I don't know about automobiles, but I do know that Harley Davidson has stated that they WILL NOT BE OBLIGATED to provide parts nor repair service for motorcycles over 10 years old. They do say that while they will not be obligated to provide such, parts and service MAY be available based on dealer stock and service availability.

How that applied to automobiles, tractors, etc., I don't know. Perhaps not at all.

What is common is that Wall Street and the CFO of every publicly traded company pretty much call this tune, regardless of what the product is.

What I do find ironic about your example is that HD spends a fair amount of time (pun intended) marketing the Heritage aspect of their products.

Talk is cheap, CFOs rule....

Rgds, D.