What is Minnesota’s law on aftermarket crash parts?

What an aftermarket crash part is

A crash part is a sheet metal or plastic component of a vehicle’s exterior that is typically damaged in a collision — fenders, hoods, bumper covers, door skins, quarter panels, grilles, lamps, and similar parts.

An aftermarket crash part is one produced by a company other than your vehicle’s manufacturer. It is not the same thing as a recycled or used part, which is an original manufacturer part taken from another vehicle, and it is not the same as a reconditioned part.

Quality across aftermarket parts genuinely varies. Some are certified and fit well; others do not line up at the gaps, use thinner steel, or lack the corrosion coating the original carried.

What the disclosure requirement does

Minnesota Statute § 65B.133 is a transparency law. Its function is to make sure a vehicle owner is told, in writing on the estimate, when non-original crash parts are being specified for the repair, and that the parts are not manufactured by the vehicle maker.

That gives you the information you need to make a decision before the parts are ordered rather than after they are on the car.

It is worth reading your estimate for the part-type codes. OEM or new means original; A/M or QRP means aftermarket; LKQ, recycled, or used means an original part from a donor vehicle. If you cannot tell, ask for a copy with part types labeled.

Disclosure is not the only protection

Minnesota’s unfair claims practices law, Minn. Stat. § 72A.201, requires insurance companies to pay the reasonable cost of restoring your vehicle to its pre-accident condition. State guidance is explicit that you cannot be forced to accept aftermarket parts in that repair, with auto glass being the main exception.

So the two statutes work together: one makes sure you know what is being used, and the other sets the standard the finished repair has to meet.

In practice, insurance companies write aftermarket parts to control cost, and documented requests for original parts are approved far more often than arguments over the phone.

Where the part choice matters most

Not every part is worth a conversation. These are the ones that are.

• Structural components and bumper reinforcements, engineered to deform in a designed sequence
• Panels carrying radar, cameras, or park sensors, where mounting geometry decides whether calibration succeeds
• Anything welded to the vehicle, where steel grade and factory corrosion coating matter
• Headlamps and tail lamps, where seal quality and beam pattern vary noticeably
• Panels on a vehicle still under a manufacturer corrosion warranty

Recycled and reconditioned parts are a different question

Aftermarket is only one of the alternatives to a new original part, and the others are frequently the better answer. Lumping them together is how people end up refusing a part that would have been ideal for their car.

A recycled part — often written as LKQ, meaning like kind and quality — is an original manufacturer part taken from another vehicle. On an older car, a straight recycled quarter panel from a matching model is genuinely the same steel, the same stampings, and the same corrosion coating the factory used. It is frequently the best repair available and it is often cheaper.

A reconditioned part is one that has been repaired, most commonly a wheel or a lamp assembly. Quality varies a great deal by the company doing the work, so the question is who reconditioned it rather than whether reconditioning is acceptable in principle.

A remanufactured part is one rebuilt to a specification, usually mechanical rather than cosmetic. On collision estimates it shows up on things like radiators and condensers.

There is a fairness point in here too. Insurance restores the vehicle rather than improving it, and on a fifteen-year-old car a new original panel can cost more than the surrounding sheet metal is worth. A recycled original in good condition is often the outcome that serves the vehicle and the claim equally well.

What to ask about an alternative part, whatever it is called:

• Is it an original manufacturer part, or made by someone else
• Is it certified by an independent parts certification program
• Does it carry mounting points for the sensors and cameras my vehicle has
• What warranty comes with the part, and who stands behind it
• Will the shop return it if the fit is not right
• How much is it saving, and who is the saving going to
• Is the part identified as non-original on the estimate, as Minnesota law requires
• If the fit or finish is wrong on arrival, what happens next and who pays for the delay

How we handle parts

Our estimates identify part types plainly, and when we specify an original part we attach the reason — a manufacturer repair procedure, a calibration requirement, or no certified alternative existing for that application. When you or your insurance pays for OEM, both the part and our installation are covered in writing.

We will also tell you when an alternative part is genuinely equivalent for your application. You should not pay extra for a badge on a plastic bracket, and a shop that pretends otherwise is not being straight with you.

A part that arrives and does not fit correctly does not go on your car. This page is general information from a body shop, not legal advice — statutes change and individual policies differ, so confirm specifics with your agent or the Minnesota Department of Commerce.