The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) is alerting the automotive industry to a growing issue involving counterfeit crash parts being falsely advertised as CAPA Certified on various e-commerce websites. These parts, often listed by third-party sellers, may misuse CAPA’s trademarked name, logo and certification language, despite not meeting the organization’s rigorous standards.
CAPA is an independent nonprofit that sets quality and safety standards for automotive replacement parts.
“Misrepresentation of non-CAPA products as being certified by CAPA is not only an infringement on CAPA’s trademarks, but it also does a disservice to the entire automotive industry,” said Clark Plucinski, chairman of the CAPA Board of Directors. “Now more than ever, it is critical to know how to identify a genuine CAPA Certified part.”
According to the organization, some unauthorized sellers are labeling uncertified or ineligible parts as CAPA Certified, including products made by manufacturers not approved by CAPA. In response, the association is actively investigating these violations and reaching out to e-commerce platforms to address the issue. Public notices identifying known instances of misrepresentation will also be published on CAPA’s website.
“This is a reminder to the industry to look for the CAPA Seal and confirm it’s a genuine CAPA part,” Plucinski added. “Whether you’re selling, purchasing, receiving or installing CAPA parts, make sure the part has the yellow and blue CAPA Seal.”
CAPA encourages all stakeholders in the automotive repair and parts supply chain to verify part authenticity through its website, which offers tools for checking seal numbers, part numbers and manufacturer approval status.
