Aftermarket Parts Suits Filed
Saturday, January 15th, 2000 Auto Risk ManagementSeparate lawsuits filed against Hartford Financial Services Group and Travelers Property and Casualty accuse the insurers of substituting aftermarket parts in the repair of their policyholders' vehicles. "Imitation parts are inferior in quality to the factory-authorized parts made by original equipment manufacturers," the suits are charging, saying that aftermarket parts have substandard fit, appearance and structural integrity. The final effect of using parts not produced by the automobiles' original manufacturers is to decrease the vehicles' value, adversely affect their performance and jeopardize effectiveness of the manufacturers' warranties, the suits state. They also accuse the insurers of failing to disclose to policyholders that non-OEM parts will be used to repair their vehicles.
