ARA continues to dispute Subaru

The Manassas, Virginia-based Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) says it strongly opposes a recently published position statement from automaker Subaru. The ARA first expressed concern about Subaru’s policy toward the use of repurposed auto components last April.

Subaru’s position, as expressed in its recent statement, “misleads consumers and effectively bans the use of safe and economical alternative repair parts,” says ARA. The association’s executive director, Sandy Blalock, comments, “Auto manufacturers have become more aggressive in their efforts to force ROE-Recycled Original Equipment and aftermarket parts out of the market.”

Continues Blalock, “These statements and tactics stifle competition, greatly increase costs to consumers and in turn, can result in more repairable vehicles being considered uneconomical to repair. Manufacturer repair restrictions have become such a significant issue that both the Biden Administration and FTC [Federal Trade Commission] have taken unambiguous steps to increase antitrust and consumer protection enforcement against manufacturer repair restrictions.”  

The ARA’s incoming president, Marty Hollingshead of Hammond, Indiana-based Northlake Auto Recyclers, remarks, “Subaru recycled original equipment parts are the very same parts manufactured by Subaru, and Subaru recycled original equipment parts have a long history of being utilized in vehicle repairs.”

Subaru recycled original equipment parts are the same parts specifically engineered by Subaru to provide maximum safety and optimal fit and functionality, says ARA, and thus “help maintain the high standards relating to a vehicle’s structural integrity.”

The ARA says it “strongly believes” that consumers have the right to choose where they can have their vehicles repaired and with repair parts that are safe and cost-effective alternatives to new OEM parts. Scott Robertson, ARA’s president and owner of Wareham, Massachusetts-based Robertson's Auto Salvage Inc., states, “In light of President Biden and the FTC’s recent actions to increase competition in repair markets, ARA is alarmed by Subaru’s decision to issue a position statement that unambiguously denounces the use of any repair part other than a new OEM part.”

Continues Robertson, “Last month, President Biden issued an executive order that called for more than a dozen federal agencies to address manufacturer repair restrictions and the harmful effects these restrictions have on consumer choice. Along with President Biden’s focus on increasing competition by cracking down on anticompetitive practices from manufacturers, the FTC issued a new policy last month that will cause the agency to increase scrutiny on consumers’ right to repair.”