When the integrity of aftermarket structural parts became a topic of discussion in the industry, Ford was prompted to conduct its own performance testing. Aftermarket refers to replacement parts that are not made by the original equipment manufacturer.
The specific structural parts covered in the study were:
- Bumper reinforcement beams
- Bumper brackets
- Radiator Supports
- Bumper Absorbers
The findings are detailed here in this video presented by Larry Coan, Ford Reparability Engineer. The results demonstrate that using OEM structural parts provides a far superior performance of the overall vehicle safety systems. (The term OEM is an acronym for original equipment manufacturer. OEM refers to a part that is made by the vehicle manufacturer to be used in your car/truck when it was new, and can be bought later to replace a broken part.)
The use of OEM structural parts also reduces the overall repair costs in the event of a subsequent accident due to the increased damage of a low impact crash to the vehicle and unintended airbag deployments.
Here is the video: