"They take advantage of the faith our customers have placed in our GM- and ACDelco-branded products," added Smith. "They have no concern for the quality or the performance of the products they produce. Counterfeit parts very seldom meet even a single GM specification or performance standard, but the counterfeiter doesn't have to care about performance, liability or safety of the consumer. Upon failure, the resulting damage to a company's reputation occurs to GM... or Ford... or DaimlerChrysler."
"There's no question that our collective effort is about protecting our customers," said Mike Jordan, president, Ford Automotive Consumer Services Group. "When customers believe they are buying a genuine Ford, GM or DaimlerChrysler part, they expect Original Equipment quality, safety and durability — and they should get it.
"When counterfeiters unlawfully manufacture and sell Ford parts, they deceive and defraud our customers — depriving consumers of their trust and confidence in our brand, their expectation of quality and their peace of mind. Counterfeit parts traffickers also compromise customers' relationships with their vehicle service providers.
"What's particularly alarming is that counterfeiters are getting bolder, expanding into a wider variety of parts," Jordan continued. "Now, everything is fair game. If it goes into or onto a vehicle, it's at risk of being counterfeited. Parts such as steering and suspension components, ignition modules and brake pads — items that have a direct bearing on the safe operation of our customers' vehicles — are being sold by counterfeiters without the benefit of testing for quality, safety and durability."