A Subaru aftermarket part certified by CAPA has been determined to pose a potential safety hazard, according to a public safety notice released earlier this month. 

CAPA states they told by Intertek that the hood part made by Hui Yih Industrial Co., LTD was a safety risk after receiving notification from Intertek. 

“The striker and hinge mounting weldments may not function properly as intended,” the safety notice says. “CAPA identified poor quality spot welds that do not meet CAPA standards.” 

The release states there has been two complaints reported as of Oct. 4. The part is for 2019-2021 Subaru Ascent vehicles. The aftermarket part number is SB21195LAH. The OEM part number is 57229XC00A9P. The PartsLinks number is SU1230155. 

The notice is for 107 units with lot numbers 04/23A, the notice states. 

CAPA notes the parts are sold by distributors of aftermarket parts but does not identify which distributors. 

“Installers of the part may contact the distributor who sold the part for advisement,” the public safety notice says. “Distributors holding parts may contact Hui Yih directly.”

CAPA does not provide a contact for Hui Yih. 

Hui Yih Industrial Co., Ltd is listed as a CAPA “participant” on the CAPA website. However, outside of a physical address in Taiwan, no contact information or website is provided for the aftermarket manufacturer. While no contact information is provided for any of the participants, many of the listings on the CAPA site do provide a website. 

CAPA did not respond by the time of publication to a request made by Repairer Driven News asking for contact information and a website for Hui Yih. 

RDN additionally requested CAPA for a list of distributors who carry the part, if Hui Yih had issued a recall on the part, and for details on how CAPA notifies distributors and installers of obligations to respond to the public safety notice.

The company was also asked how to keep consumers informed who may have a part already on their vehicle. 

While CAPA didn’t answer the questions, it did announce last year that its Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) Tracker will automatically update repairers of any issues with CAPA parts they’ve used so that they can notify their customers. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday that it currently does not have any consumer complaints or recalls on the part. 

However, NHTSA said it has the authority to investigate motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, including aftermarket equipment. 

“When a safety recall has been issued, NHTSA monitors each recall to make sure owners receive safe, free, and effective remedies from manufacturers according to the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act,” an NHTSA official said in an email. 

The last CAPA public safety notice for Hui Yih was for a bumper in March 2019. It said the material used to produce certified products may not be the same material used when certification was achieved. 

“In instances where the same materials are not used, it may result in a product that does not meet CAPA requirements for comparable performance to the car company brand counterpart,” the notice says. 

Four days later, on March 22, 2019, NFS released a statement that it was revoking the certification of all automotive parts manufactured by Hui Yih, effective immediately. 

“NSF has removed Hui Yih’s parts from its listings and they are not authorized to bear the NSF certification mark,” the release does not provide information about why it decided to revoke the certification.

Later in 2019, NSF discontinued its Automotive Parts Certification Program. 

CAPA was asked about why it decided to continue certifying Hui Yih parts after NSF revoked its certification. CAPA did not respond by time of publication. 

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Featured image: CAPA’s booth at NACE 2016 is shown. (John Huetter/Repairer Driven News)