The U.S. Department of Commerce has opened a 14-day window for domestic manufacturers to request adding additional auto parts to the existing Section 232 tariff list — a procedural step the Automotive Body Parts Association says collision repair businesses should monitor closely.
The window runs from Jan. 1 through Jan. 14, 2026 (closing at 11:59 p.m. ET), according to a Federal Register notice published Dec. 16. While collision repair shops aren't filing these requests, the process carries risk according to ABPA: Once parts are added to the tariff list, there is currently no clear process to remove them later.
What's currently on (and off) the tariff list
Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 allows the Commerce Department to impose tariffs on imports determined to threaten national security. The Trump administration applied Section 232 tariffs to certain automobiles and auto parts starting in April 2025, with the current list covering engines, transmissions, powertrain parts, and electrical components.
Currently, sheet metal components like hoods, fenders, and bumpers are largely exempt from the 25% duty. But that could change if producers successfully petition for their inclusion during this or future windows.
According to PartsTrader, about 44% of OEM collision parts sold in the U.S. are manufactured overseas. The company estimates existing tariffs add roughly $100 to the parts line of an average repair order. An April survey by market researcher IMR found that 38.6% of shops have felt a direct tariff impact, with the figure jumping to 73.7% among shops with eight or more bays.
How the inclusion process works
Domestic producers must submit requests via email, providing detailed justifications about how specific imported parts threaten domestic industry competitiveness. After the submission window closes Jan. 14, accepted requests will be posted for a 14-day public comment period.
The International Trade Administration then has 60 days to issue determinations on whether to add the requested parts to the tariff list.
"ABPA members should closely monitor each inclusion cycle and be prepared to participate in the public comment process if collision repair parts relevant to their businesses are proposed," the association said their Dec. 23 statement. "The ABPA will continue tracking these developments and provide updates as additional guidance becomes available."
Why collision shops should pay attention
Average parts prices rose by more than 6% in Q2 and Q3 2025, increases that analysts attributed to tariff impacts being passed through to supplier pricing according to CCC Intelligent Solutions' Q4 2025 Crash Course report.
If additional high-volume collision components are added to the tariff list, shops could face similar price adjustments concentrated on specific parts categories. Unlike gradual inflation, tariff-driven price changes can be abrupt, creating supplement friction and customer sticker shock on jobs already in process.
The timing matters because shops are entering a period where the repairable claim pool is already shrinking. Repairable claims were down 10.4% through August 2025 compared to the same period the year before, per Kyle Krumlauf, director of industry analytics at CCC Intelligent Solutions.
What shops can do now
Track the public comment docket. After Jan. 14, check Regulations.gov (Docket ITA-2025-0039) to see which parts were requested for inclusion. If collision-heavy categories appear, contact vendors to understand potential pricing and availability impacts.
Talk to vendors. Ask OEM parts managers, aftermarket distributors, and recyclers whether they're tracking this process and whether they anticipate pricing changes based on what gets submitted.
Document pricing changes carefully. If tariff-driven price increases do materialize on specific parts, keep pricing timelines, vendor communications, and Federal Register references on hand for supplement conversations with insurers.
What to watch in 2026
- - The Jan. 14 submission deadline will reveal which parts categories domestic producers are seeking to protect.
- - The 14-day public comment period following the close of the window provides an opportunity for collision repair associations and parts distributors to respond if commonly used components are proposed.
- - Three more inclusion windows are scheduled for 2026 (April, July, and October), creating a recurring quarterly process.
- - The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) joint review, scheduled for July 1, 2026, could address rules covering components that are increasingly central to collision repair costs, including electric vehicle batteries and semiconductors.
The Automotive Body Parts Association noted that tariff inclusion "could have long-term consequences for pricing, availability, and competition between OEM and aftermarket replacement parts."
